Lost Without You
by foolishangel87
Summary: It was suppose to be over, they were suppose to find peace. But the emergence of a millenium old secret and the return of a former enemy could prove to be the very thing that finally tears everyone apart...6th fic in series
1. The shape of things to come

**Author's note:**** So this is the first chapter of the 6th fic in my True Bloodd series. I own none of the characters created by Charlaine Harris or Allan Ball. I only take credit for the new characters i bring in. **

**Also, if you havent read the previous 5 stories, you might want to just for it to make sense. They go in this order. The Blackest Night...The Resurrection...Make you Feel my love...The Second Chance...For the First time...hope you enjoy the series so far and what is to come..**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 The shape of things to come<strong>

_A few weeks later_

"Eric come on, you have to stop sulking already and get back to your old self. It's hurting business, it's hurting you, it's hurting me to see you like this..." I tried to tell my bad tempered husband, who sat next to me in his usual seat up on the stage of Fangtasia but he might as well not be there for all the effort he wasn't putting in to drawing in business. It had been like this for weeks. He would come to work, sit in his chair and just glare at the floor and never make eye contact with any of the customers or employees. I knew he was pissed up about Godric's revelation from that night but I would have thought he would be over it by now. But I suppose that was wishful thinking. I slipped my hand through his arm. "And I know it's also hurting Godric to see you..."

"Do not mention Godric to me." He replied coldly, not looking up from the spot on the floor he had been staring out and just pulled his arm away from me, hinting that he did not want my comfort in any way. He just wanted me to leave him alone, like he always seemed to want these days. "I don't want to hear his name."

"Fine." I grumbled, shaking my head in annoyance at his attitude before sitting back in my chair with my arms crossed and looked around at the semi crowded floor and just sighed heavily. "Be like that Eric, that just fine with me."

Eric didn't say anything to me but that didn't come as much of a surprise since he really didn't say much any more these days anyway. Every since Godric revealed that he had another progeny, Eric had been on the outs with his maker and had refused to see or speak to him. After Godric had confessed to the existence of Carina, Eric had charged out of the house and hadn't come back until just before dawn, nearing worrying me to death in the process. After that night, he wouldn't talk about Godric even though I tried countless amounts of times to bring it up. Godric came by night after night in an attempt to fix the strained relationship between them but it didn't seem to work no matter how many times he said he was sorry. Sure Godric could have just commanded Eric to forgive him, but as he explained to me before, he wanted Eric to forgive him willingly and not because he was forced. Or else it wouldn't mean anything. So even though I hated to see the two of them struggling, I left it alone and let them work through it in their own way. But it wasn't easy, Eric wasn't himself and it wasn't like when he had been cursed, he was there but he had closed himself off to everyone including me. He didn't want to spend time together, he didn't want to feed, and he didn't even want to sleep with me. And trust me, I had tried very hard. But he just didn't have an interest in anything, he was consumed with thoughts of Godric and the betrayal and Carina. I knew all this from reading his mind, not to mention it was hard not to know considering he wasn't trying very hard to block his thoughts most of the time. He was suffering and I only wanted to help but I didn't know how. All I knew was that this couldn't go on much longer, not with the way things were.

"You know what I think you're really mad about?" I asked suddenly after I stopped going over the past month in my head and refocused my eyes on Eric who seemed a little startled that I was talking to him again because I saw him turn his face slightly towards the sound of my voice. And even though he wasn't looking at me entirely, it was still an acknowledgment. "I don't think it's about Godric lying or you not knowing he had another progeny..."

"Allison..." Eric's face twitched as he issued this warning simply by stating my name. I could hear the edge in his voice, he didn't like where this was going. "Enough."

"No Eric, it's not enough. I need to say this." I charged ahead, not able to stop now that the idea had taken root in my head. Once it was there I knew it would fester until I did something about it and I was surprised when I hadn't thought about this possibility before. "I think you're more mad and agitated because your vampire sister sent witches after you. That's what you're really..."

"Allison, I said enough!" Eric snapped loudly, his voice echoing through the crowd of both vampire and human and gaining the focus of everyone in the room from his sudden outburst. But he didn't care that everyone was now staring at him. He was just laser focused on shutting me up as he reached over and curled his cold fingers around my wrist. "I said I didn't want to hear it. And as my wife, you should follow my order!"

"And as my husband, you should remember that I am not your fucking slave or toy. We're partners in this, equal footing. So don't forget that." I found myself snapping, my own anger bubbling up to the surface and coming out, just not as loudly as Eric's had been. I pried his fingers off my arm and stood up, prepared to step down to the floor. But before I left, I turned back to look at him and said "I still love you Eric Northman, but you are the most stubborn asshole I have ever met."

I turned my back before I could see his reaction and jumped down to the floor and started pushing my way over to the bar. I didn't have to fight too hard since the general crowd knew who I was and moved out of the way before I had to ask. I felt powerful when they did this, which was a rarity since most of the time I felt as weak and powerless as a normal human even though I was a full blooded Faerie. I saw looks come my way as I passed by vampires and humans, any maybe it was because I was the only woman allowed up on stage with Eric beside Pam, but I saw a few vamps show me their fangs and I knew they could smell my blood. It was always like that in a crowd of vampires, they could find me by just one good sniff and it was very unnerving. But I kept my cool, knowing I would never be harmed in Eric's bar as he would be killing anyone who dared to try and approach me. I was just reaching the bar counter when I looked back over my shoulder to the stage and saw that Eric was back to looking glum and pissed off. I sighed, he really needed to get his act together because this version of him was not working for me. I could only be understanding to an extent...

"He's still mad isn't he?" Godric's voice came from my right side and I turned my head quickly in surprise to find him walking up to me with his hands in his pockets and his head slightly down like it had been for weeks. I was surprised to see him here, as he hadn't had luck getting Eric to talk to him at any other time but maybe that was exactly why he came here. He leaned against the bar next to me and shrugged. "I guess I should have prepared for this, nothing in the past ever stays there for long, so I shouldn't have expected this secret too either. Even if I did think she was dead."

"Don't beat yourself up on this so much. Yes, it was started because you kept this from him, but it's him who is keeping this feud going. You're both to blame for the misery." I pointed out, keeping my eye on Eric in case he looked up and spotted Godric talking to me. There was no way of knowing how he would react in this situation, he wouldn't care about making a scene in his own bar. I looked at Godric and seeing the sadness in his face made my chest tighten. I hated to see the two of them fighting and I hated how things had changed yet again. We were suppose to be happy after Eric got his memories back, not dealing with this crap. I ran my fingers through my long hair and said. "He's been such a nightmare lately..."

"Forgive me for that, he wouldn't be acting like this if it weren't for me." Godric immediately began, prepared it seemed to launch into a full out apology for what seemed like the millionth time. "I'm very sorry about keeping Carina a secret and for how it affected Eric..."

"Godric, stop. You don't need to keep apologizing, I know you're sorry. You don't have to keep on hammering that home." I shrugged off his apology because I didn't need to hear it again. Eric wasn't the only one he had been trying to make amends with in the past month, it had been with me too. And I had an initial period of being upset because of how the whole curse could have been avoided if we had some how known, but I was quick to let it go since I knew it wasn't important to hold on to a grudge like this. Not when it seemed like we had other things to worry about. "But you do need to talk to Eric..."

"I've tried Allison, you've seen me try and it doesn't help." Godric protested, his frustration showing on his young features and making him appear younger then he actually was. He looked across the crowd towards the stage but Eric was still not looking towards the bar area, he was still glaring at the floor. Godric pressed his lips together and turned back to me. "I don't think it will..."

"I don't care if you don't think it will help, you're still going to go over there and talk to him. Because I said so." I replied stubbornly, as I watched his face grow with surprise at the sudden upswing in my confidence as I spoke to him. I was fed up with him and Eric fighting like little children, I was fed up with Eric's attitude towards me and his maker and everyone. I was just fed up in general and it was time that I did something to change that. I nodded towards the stage. "Now go and talk. Right now."

"Allison, I'm a 2,000 year old vampire. You can't exactly order me around." Godric tried to regain his sense of control by setting his face in a more serious expression but I never broke my gaze, and I think he knew I was not one to be messed with right now because he simply nodded and started moving backwards. "Alright, alright. I'll try."

"Don't try, do it." I raised my eyebrows at him right before he disappeared into the crowd and then just settled back against the counter to wait for the inevitable moment when those two would come together to talk. God only knows what the two of them would do if it didn't go well. I was just turning around to order a drink when I already found a Cosmo sitting on a napkin right in front of me. I looked up and found Pam on the other side of the bar smirking at me with her hand on her hip. I raised my eyebrows. "Thanks for the drink, Pam."

"Just consider it thank you for restoring this beautiful face of mine and for sending Godric over to try and snap my maker out of this slump, Because frankly, I am really getting sick of it." Pam retorted, leaning forward on the counter with her eyebrows as we both watched Godric reach Eric and start to say something. Pam's face twitched as she was the only one of us who could hear what was being said right now. "Eric is not happy that Godric is here, and that's putting it nicely."

"But look, they are walking away together. I think they might actually talk." I pointed out as I watched Eric and Godric zip through the crowd and disappear through the door off to the side of the bar and I knew they were going to the office to speak in private. This had to be a good thing, it just had to be. "Maybe things will get better now."

"Don't get your hopes up Faerie princess, this is Eric we're talking about...If he is set on holding a grudge, then nothing Godric says can fix it. It may just have to run its course."

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><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"I don't know why I agreed to this, I would rather not be here at all."

"I'm your maker Eric, have enough respect for me to at least hear what I have to say." Godric found himself replying to his progeny for the first time since they had entered the office and finally had the nerve to break the heavy silence between them. He still couldn't believe that he had actually gotten Eric to come down from the stage and agree to talk to him, especially since it seemed like neither of them wanted a repeat of their previous failed conversations. But after Allison's near threat and seeing the toll it was taking on everyone, Godric knew he had to at least try one more time. This animosity between him and Eric wasn't healthy, not when they needed to be on the same page if they had to deal with Carina at some point in the future. Godric looked at Eric, who was sitting behind his desk and staring across the room at the wall and Godric wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go. But he knew it would be different from the others in the sense that he was going to say things he hadn't said to Eric in the last few weeks. So far he had dodged the real truth, but he knew that he would have to come clean since it had the slightest chance in hell of making Eric hate him less. He looked at his child and dropped his arms down to his sides before saying. "I want to explain why I never mentioned that I had created another progeny..."

"Oh, now you want to explain? But you didn't feel like telling me about her at all in the past thousand years?" Eric questioned coldly, his eyes getting stormy as he looked up and locked gazes with Godric. Godric nearly cringed when he saw the look of betrayal in his child's eyes, something he never intended on doing when he kept Carina a secret. But like he had said many times before, secrets always had a way of coming out, so he should have prepared for Eric's anger. "I'm your child too! I had a right to know that there was another."

"I should have told you, I know that. I just didn't want to because it was too hard and I was too ashamed..." Godric hissed, flashes of the past surging through him and he had to curl his hands into themselves to stop himself from lashing out and breaking something. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to look at me differently when you knew the truth. Because the truth is that I am ashamed of that time."

"Why?" Eric still sounded angry as he leaned forward across the top of his desk, but there was something akin to curiosity in his face. "What could have possibly happened to make you keep this a secret?"

"Carina was an unlucky bystander to my rage over a thousand years ago, I was different back then as you know, but the way I treated her was unfathomable to me now. I still cannot believe I did what I did." Godric shook his head rapidly as he came to sit down on the chair in front of the desk with a sigh. He was ashamed of a lot of things he had done in his lifetime, but his history with Carina was one of the worse and it seemed like it was catching up to him now. "You remember the back story with Helen, Louie and I right?"

"Of course." Eric nodded, his face still guarded and unforgivable. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I created Carina right after we thought Helen had died. It was after Louie had dissolved our friendship and we had gone our separate ways. I was in pain and in mourning and I was determined to take out my rage on anyone and anything in any way I could. I wanted to feel powerful, not weak..." Godric felt the same rush of shame go through him as he recounted the past to Eric, it felt just as strongly as it had the first time he felt it. But it had a slightly sharper edge to it because he had to tell his other progeny about it, somehow that just made it seem all the more worse. "So when I came across Carina, she was alone and I just felt something inside me snap..."

"And that's when you turned her.." Eric finished for him, his head nodding even though his eyes still weren't relenting. "So what happened next? How did all this fall apart?"

"My bond with Carina is nothing like the bond I share with you. My bond to her was created out of my desperate need to release my emotions and after it was over and she had turned, I didn't want her..." Godric broke his gaze so he wouldn't have to look at Eric when he said this next part. It was the one part that he was most ashamed of. "I didn't keep her with me like I should have. I felt like she was a waste of space to me. So I released her and ran off to deal with my grief in other ways. And a year after I created her, I found you..."

"So what was different about her and then me? Why did you get rid of her and not me?" Eric sounded more curious now then ever and Godric lifted his gaze again to find his child watching with more of a blank look on his face then an angry one. That was a little progress. "It was only a year between when you turned her and then turned me. How could your mind frame change that much in just a year?"

"I don't know, it just did. I saw you injured and seconds away from death and I suppose I felt the pull to take care of someone like I did with Helen. I don't know why I didn't want to care for Carina, but I knew I wanted to keep you with me. I never felt that with her and I feel horrible about it to this day." Godric explained, relieving the night he had watched his vampire daughter rise as an immortal and then the way her face had crumbled when he told her he was releasing her. She had begged him to stay, to show her how to live but he hadn't. He didn't want to be there, that's why he had taken off and left her alone. He had thought about her occasionally over the last thousand years, and the sting of what he had done was just as rough to deal with as it had been then. So he preferred not to think about it or talk about it. He looked at Eric and shrugged. "I thought she had met the true death, because I felt our blood bond disappear not long after I made you..."

"But she didn't meet the true death, she must have had the bond broken by magic and that's why you thought she had died." Eric rubbed his chin with his hand, his face still composed sharply even as he got deeper into the conversation then he probably had intended to. "..obviously, she wasn't dead since she was the one who got Marnie to summon Antonia to come after me. She had to have been keeping tabs on the both of us over the years, hence why Marnie had told Nan that it was an act of revenge."

"She must have been jealous of you, that's why she wanted to hurt you like that." Godric pressed his lips together, hardly daring to believe that the timid little brunette that he had turned against her will had exacted revenge so viciously. He knew that that kind of treatment could change people in the worse way, but he was still hoping that it never had to come to that. "I didn't think this would happen..."

"But it did happen. Your actions and secrets kept us all from being prepared, but most of all me! And it lead to me being a zombie for weeks, all because you couldn't tell me about her." Eric snapped under his breath, his eyes turning to slits as he spoke, showing that there was an underlining sense of rage under his sort of calm demeanor. "And what just really pisses me off if that I should have known that I had a vampire sister, even if you did think she was dead."

"I am sorry my son, for lying to you and for bringing this upon us. Because it seems like this is going to be presented as a problem now, and it's one of my biggest regrets that I didn't tell you." Godric knew he was getting through to his child because Eric no longer looked like he was going to dive across the desk and attack him. He could still feel that Eric was angry and probably would be for a very long time, but at least they could move on from this initial hostility and heal. He looked up again and said. "She will be a problem and now that you know about her, you should know my loyalty is still to you. And I will take care of it if she ever causes a problem..."

"No, we will both take care of it. It shouldn't just be on you." Eric said surprisingly, his face turning hard like stone but Godric knew it wasn't just about him anymore, it was about his own revenge against Carina for her actions. And if Eric was already thinking down the road like that, then Godric knew they were back on the same page. And he was sure of it when Eric's eyes drifted back to him and he saw the smallest hint of a smirk on his face. "I want a piece of her as well. She fucked with me and now I get to fuck with her."

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><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"So I see the door hasn't been torn off it's hinges, that must mean that things went well..." I stated happily as I practically skipped through the open doorway and into the office where I found both Eric and Godric sitting by the desk and smiling, a shocker considering little over an hour ago they were both mad at each other. But now they looked as comfortable with each other as they had before the secret came out. I had been worried that forcing these two together was a bad idea and the entire time I had been waiting out by the bar for any sign of what the outcome could be, I had almost bitten my nails down to the beds and almost caused them to bleed. But then Pam got a call from Eric, who wanted me to come in and I nearly ran to the office, praying that they hadn't bloodied each other too bad. But Eric was sitting behind his desk with his typical smile on his face and Godric was sitting on the other side with his normal serene smile that immediately put me at ease. I walked into thee room with my hands tucked under my arms and a smile on my lips. "Are you two done bickering like 5 year olds?"

"We never bickered." Godric stated with a tilt of his head, his eyebrows raised high into his smooth forehead. He turned to look at Eric in mock confusion. "My son, have we been bickering?"

"No, I don't believe we have. I think my wife is mistaken." Eric replied with an even deeper smirk that he sent my way and I felt a warmth go through me all the way down to my toes when he looked at me like that. It was a look he hadn't given me in over a month because of this fight with Godric, but it was back now and I finally felt like I had my husband back. Eric chuckled a little bit. "Allison, you can relax. The crisis has passed..."

"For now it has. But I give it another few weeks before you two are back to fighting like children over something else. So I'm preparing myself now." I teased, tossing my hair back behind me as I looked from him to Godric. For vampires as old as them, they tended to disagree a lot and also acted less like vampires and more like feuding children. And that in itself was funny and amusing but beyond that, it wasn't because I hated it when they fought and were mad with each other. "Can you two just play nicely for once? It seems like you are always fighting."

"I do take the blame for that, after all I did keep a secret from my child." Godric pointed out, looking at Eric with a smile but his eyes showed a more serious expression that said he was still feeling the weight of having held back this one part of him. "But we have agreed to put that aside in the face of this new possible threat."

"Well thank God for that. Can you imagine facing trouble while you two are on the outs? That wouldn't produce good results at all. And I can only save you guys so many times." I replied, walking over to the desk to lean against while I talked but Eric had other ideas and instead grabbed my arm and yanked me down into his lap, wrapping his arm around me so I couldn't escape. But I was so thrilled that he was acting like himself again that I didn't even want to move away and instead pressed myself closer to him. "I'm just glad you two made peace. It bothers me when the two most important vampires in my life are hating on each other."

"No matter what my maker tells or doesn't tell me, I could never 'hate on him'. That's just the truth." Eric said, his lips twitching as he semi-quoted me and his hands moved across my legs slowly. "We may disagree from time to time, but I will never hate him."

"He's right Allison, there will never be hate between us. We always manage to forgive and forget." Godric nodded, his expression brightening up as he looked at us together and I could tell by his thoughts that it made him happy to have Eric and I together because I somehow made Eric's temper less explosive and more open to logic and sense. I knew Godric believed I had softened his progeny, but Eric's personality was still there from before he and I ever got involved, it was just a little more hidden then it use to be. But I didn't want to contradict Godric right now, not when it was a nice moment with the three of us. Godric's face took on a more serious look before he said. "And we will get passed this, even if I have to kill my first progeny myself and face this alone."

"And I told you that you're not doing this alone..." Eric piped in, his face also turning serious as he turned away from me and looked at his maker in a way that he hadn't looked at him in weeks, with respect. "I will be at your side if need be."

"As will I..." I added in, gaining their attention swiftly but I wasn't willing to accept their disapproving looks. "Eric you're my husband. And Godric, I feel like your daughter. So if you guys are facing this trouble then so am I. And you can't tell me differently..."

"I wouldn't push her Eric, she can be very threatening when she wants to be, despite the sweet face." Godric pointing out, reminding me of the way I had talked to him earlier but there was a small smile on his face. "She is quite a handful to deal with when she has her mind set to something."

"Trust me..." Eric began, turning towards me with a smirk as his hand brushed back my hair. "I know that fact better then anyone."

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><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

_"Does that make me horrible...for wishing your husband never got better.."_

_"...just extremely honest...So be honest again. You like me, don't you...more then just a friendly type of way..."_

_"..I never looked at you in a friend type of way...it's always been more then that. I want you in ways that I shouldn't want you...I would do anything to be the one you spend your nights with...that's how much more it is..."_

"Oh shit, not again." Alcide muttered to himself as he leaned against the side of the elevator that lead down to the parking garage and hit the side of his head to try and knocked out the fragments of the conversation he had last had with Allison out of his mind. But the only thing the action did was cause his head to hurt and made him feel stupid for thinking it would actually work. He should have known it wouldn't, after all nothing else had managed to get the tiny brunette out of his head, nor their last conversation from playing over in his head like an annoying song for the past month. He rubbed his hands over his tired face and sighed. "I have to stop this,nothing is ever going to happen between her and I and I'm just torturing myself by thinking about it."

Ever since Alcide had made his idiotic confession to her, he had been essentially driving himself crazy trying to move on from it because nothing would ever come of it so why make it worse by thinking about her. But it seemed that the more he tried not to think about her, the more in a rut he was. He had done everything in his power to try and keep his focus clear and sometimes he managed it. But then there were days like these and nights like now when he just couldn't do it. He had tried talking about something else, thinking that any new subject would distract him but nothing did. He tried to keep busy with work, thinking that if he pushed himself hard enough then he would be too tired to even think. But her face came to mind even then and he hated it. He didn't want her torturing him with her angelic face, her sweet smile and playful green eyes. He just wanted her gone, like she never existed. It had been over a month since he had seen her and she was still as vivid in his mind as ever. Even when he went out with other women, Allison was still there taunting him.

It was like nothing he did made a difference and he began to think that maybe he was going about it the wrong way.

Maybe he did need to think about her and all the possibilities that he had allowed himself to think about. Maybe not fighting it and letting it just flow through him was going to be what got it out of his system for good. So he did think, always when he had a free moment to spare, he sat down and just allowed his mind to be flooded with her image and all their interactions, and by something even more dangerous, his feelings for her. He knew what he felt for Allison was stronger then what he thought he had felt for Sookie or even Debbie, it was much stronger. When he felt for Debbie and Sookie, he thought it was real but it was like he was blinded by what he thought they were like. Allison was a different story, he had gotten to know the real her and therefore the feelings he developed for her were much more intense then anything he felt before. And they happened so quickly and in such a short amount of time, but it was all for nothing. Because no matter how right it felt and no matter how strongly he felt for her, it didn't change the fact that she was married. She was forbidden territory for so many reasons. She was taken in the most committed of ways, and she was bound to a vampire.

"Fucking vampires, they always get what they want." Alcide growled as the elevator dinged and opened it's door to the parking garage and he stepped out into the silence and made his way over to where his truck was parked. His hands curled into each other as he took each step and his frustration with the situation grew as he thought about what he couldn't have. Eric Northman took everything good in the world for his own, leaving nothing for the others like him. That damn vampire could have anyone else and he had to take the one good sweet girl and manipulate her into loving his dead ass. It just wasn't fair. He fumbled in his pocket for his keys as he approached his truck. "Maybe I should just go and see her. Maybe if I see her and know that she is happy, then I can finally put these thoughts to rest and I won't have to think about her anymore..."

Alcide had just pulled his keys out when his nose caught the scent of something evil close by and he instantly felt himself go on alert as his head snapped around for a visual. He found nothing but he knew he wasn't alone anymore, he may not see anything right now but his werewolf nose never failed him and he instantly felt himself readying to phase if he had to. But he never got the chance to when out of nowhere, he felt a blow hit him in the back of the head and sent him flying forward towards the pavement. His vision was already wavering before he even hit the ground, rendering him unfocused and not ready to defend himself. He had just turned over on his back when he felt a sudden weight on top of him and before he felt himself blacking out, he saw the face of a female vampire hovering above him with her fangs gleamings down at him.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"Now this is the best way to end an night, drinking with a bunch of vampires in an empty bar. It doesn't get any better then this." I said out loud with a giggle as I looked around the table at the 3 pale faces staring back at me and raised my nearly empty wine glass to tap against their bottles of blood in salute. It was strange to be sitting in the middle of Fangtasia at 3 in the morning with Eric and Godric and Pam and drinking alcohol while they drank blood in a moment that we had never had before but were having now. I knew they all thought it was weird too but no one said it out loud because for once, the 4 of us were all getting along and I don't think anyone wanted to ruin this rare moment by saying anything. After things with Godric and Eric had settled down, the three of us had returned to the main floor for the rest of the night and Eric's mood had improved so greatly that an even bigger crowd had come in to take over for the remaining hours the bar was open. It wasn't until after everyone was gone and it was just the 4 of us left that we actually all had a moment to talk and just relax. And I found it really nice. There weren't ever many moments like this these days. I set my glass on the table and looked around at everyone again. "I am officially a happy girl right now."

"You definitely look it." Eric smirked at me, his hands reaching under the table for my knee where his cool fingers closed over it and I could feel him even underneath my jeans. Eric winked at me briefly before saying. "And I can't deny that I too am very happy."

"Well isn't that a nice change from the charming attitude you have had as of late." Pam replied sarcastically, sending her tight lipped smile at her maker before raising her bottle of blood to her mouth again. "Now at least we can get back to regular business for once."

"Yes, it is very good to go back to an old routine." Godric agreed, setting down his own bottle blood with barely a few sips taken from it and pushed it aside. He hardly ever had blood around any of us and he once explained that he simply didn't need it as much to survive anymore. He looked around at all of us and for the first time in weeks, he seemed like his old self. "It's even better that the obstacle has passed..."

"I think that one was for you Eric." I giggled, rolling my eyes at his frown before taking a quick sip of my wine. I couldn't help but feel playful right now. Things were finally at a standstill after weeks of dissension and arguments. Sure there was still the matter of Carina showing up at any time to cause trouble but I couldn't feel worried about that. Not when I had two of the most powerful vampires back on speaking terms again. "You're the one who has been bickering with his maker..."

"I wasn't bickering!" Eric pretended to look mad but I could tell by the way his fingers caressed my inner thigh that he was the complete opposite. He always had said that he liked it when I was a little more outspoken then I normally was. But he still liked to pretend he was the one in control. "And what have I told you about the way that you talk to me?"

"How come she gets away with it and I can't?" Pam protested, her eyes narrowing at her maker in a more serious manner before looking at me. "It's because she's your wife? But I'm your child damn it!"

"You should know by now that Eric doesn't make sense of his actions as much as he likes to think he does." Godric replied, getting in on the fun which was just awesome because Godric was normally such a serious and wise vampire. It was good to see him let loose a little bit once in a while. He sent Eric an apologetic smile. "Sorry my son, but I am on their..."

_Crash_

Godric's voice was silenced by the sound of the door flying open and hitting the inside wall as a pair of delicate footsteps filled the silence of the bar. I turned my eyes to see who it was and it was simply a brunette vampire, the same height as me who I had never seen before. Maybe she was new and didn't realize that the bar was closed and I was on the verge of saying something when Godric was suddenly brought to his feet, his mind going a million miles an hour and made me dizzy to listen in to it. Whoever this vampire was, Godric clearly knew her or else his eyes wouldn't have bugged out the way they did. And Eric wouldn't have also jumped to his feet if it was nothing. I was even sure that I knew who this was but I knew enough not to say anything unless I was directly spoken to. When there was a strange vampire around, talking out of turn could be deadly. So I stayed silent while Godric stepped forward.

"Carina..." So it was his other progeny that was standing before us with a very Eric like smile on her face. But there was something very different about the way her smirk was from Eric's, it was colder and more calculating then his ever was and it invoked a spasm of fear in me that I knew all of them could pick up on. Godric looked back at us almost apologetically before turning forward again like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Carina..."

"Hello my maker, long time no see."

**A/N: And there you have it, the first chapter of the 6th fic and boy was it a doozy to write. But i havent been this excited about a first chapter in a long time. And i cannot wait to write out the rest of the crazy stuff i have planned. PLease review and stay tuned**


	2. Only the beginning

**Chapter 2 Only the beginning **

"Wow, this place is...quite a dump." Carina stated as strolled forward, her long brown hair pulled into a loose braid that fell over one shoulder and her bright blue eyes gazed around at the stunned faces in amusement as she crossed her leather jacket covered arms over herself and just smirked at us. I didn't know what to make of her being that this was just the first time I had seen her since Godric confessed to having another progeny but I already could tell that she was nothing like Eric even though they had the same maker. Eric was selfish and manipulative and mean on occasion, but Carina just gave off an air of pure evil and insanity and that was never qualities that made a good impression. I fell back from the group to avoid being seen but I knew eventually she would address me and I was just hoping that it could be avoided if I stayed out of eye sight. Carina set her eyes on Godric and her eyes narrowed. "Hello father, it's been a very long time..."

"Yes it has, a thousand years to be exact." Godric's voice never wavered as he spoke to her but his mind was another story. His thoughts were going a mile a minute and I could see flashes of him and Carina from the past, from the beginning. But Godric seemed to have a firm grip on how to deal with her. "And now you have come to cause trouble. Why?"

"Do I really need to explain that? Are you really that idiotic?" Carina asked with an infuriating smirk that made Eric tense up next to me so much that I had to reach out and grab his arm to stop him from lashing out. I didn't want a fight to break out because who knew what could be waiting in the shadows if Eric started it first. Carina however never noticed this and just stared at Godric. "You haven't changed one bit since we last saw each other. You're still the same asshole you always were."

"No he isn't!" I exclaimed, feeling a small flame of fury rise up in me before feeling it die and I stepped back again but my small outburst went unnoticed by her and everyone else.

"I have changed Carina and I'm deeply sorry that it happened so late in my existence. It should have occurred so I could have treated you better, but it didn't..." Godric seemed to be trying the logic approach, like he thought that if he addressed his past mistakes then maybe it would keep her from lashing out and causing trouble. Godric was wise and always wanted to fix a problem with words rather then violence but I didn't think that was going to work this time. "..I can't change the past..."

"You're damn right you can't." She snapped, her blue eyes turning stormy and even more angry then before, and I got just the briefest flash of Godric's face in her head before she went on with the oddest of smiles on her face. "But this is about the future, not the past..."

"I'm sure she'll have an interesting future.." Pam commented, her words causing me to frown and I turned my head over my shoulder to find Eric's progeny staring at Carina with a lot of intrigue and interest. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, it was so like Pam to be inappropriately attracted to what was going to be our new enemy. But it was Pam, so I shouldn't have expected anything less. "After all, she is very..."

"Pam, shut up. Now isn't the time." Eric growled lowly but we all heard it as it seemed to echo across the room. But my eyes weren't on Pam anymore, but on the other female vampire in the room who was now looking at me with curious eyes that made me jump so much that I bumped into Eric. He in turn saw what Carina was doing and he growled. "Don't you look at her."

"Oh, don't be so selfish little brother. Spread the goodness around." Carina replied with a lick of her lips, her eyes zeroing in on me in a way that I should have been use to by now. Whenever vampires got a whiff of me, they always said the same thing. But coming from her, it was even more creepy. Her eyes studied me seriously before saying. "You look very tasty my dear.."

"Enough Carina." Godric frowned, seemingly irked by her statements as he stepped in front of me to block me from her view but even then I knew it could only do so much. "She has nothing to do with any of this."

"I guess you're Godric's new favorite now..." Carina ignored Godric's warning and continued starring at me. There was a hatred in her eyes and a look of jealousy that I surprisingly could understand where it was coming from. But it didn't make me feel any better. "I'd be careful. You never know when he will get tired of you and turn his back."

"Why are you here?" Godric demanded, drawing her attention back to him as he stepped forward and motioned for the rest of us to stay back. "It's been a thousand years. Why show up now? Why wait until now to cause trouble?"

"Maybe I was just bidding my time..." Carina shrugged in a careless sort of way like they were merely discussing the weather or something else trivial. She leaned against the far end of the bar counter. "Or maybe it was just time for a little family reunion."

"You forget that I know you and I know when you're trying to dodge the truth and you are doing it now." Godric was starting to sound angry now even though his face remained calm. His mind was still racing as was Eric's, going so fast that it was starting to make me dizzy. Godric may have been the wise, father like vampire in the group, but if he had to then he would get violent very quickly in order to save those he loved. "There's more to it."

"Maybe there is and maybe there isn't." Carina shrugged, aggravating me in the process as she smirked like she knew she was getting to us by holding back from simply admitting that she was here to raise hell. She clasped her hands together with a smirk. "But I don't have to do anything you say. You released me remember? You have no power over me."

"She doesn't have to do anything but stand there looking hot." Pam muttered behind us but we all ignored her as Carina set her eyes on me again.

"You made a serious error in judgment getting involved with this lot..." Carina nodded to both Godric and Eric but her eyes lingered on Godric. There was so much hatred there that it stunned me. I knew the reason why but even then I couldn't understand how anyone could still be hating Godric a thousand years later. Carina seemed perfectly content in holding on to that grudge as she addressed me one last time. "I'd be careful Faerie princess, I'm not the only one emerging from the past."

Carina then proceeded to stand up straight and straighten her shoulders before sending us all the same devilish smile before she turned on her heels and headed towards the door. Before she left, she purposely knocked over a nearby table that was covered with half empty glasses of alcohol and sent the glasses and liquid flying everywhere before a gust of wind picked up and she was gone out the door before anyone could react. We all stared at the open doorway in shock, no one knowing what to say now. But I realized after the passage of those first initial seconds that there really was nothing to say.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at the house<span>_

"For Christ sake Godric, you don't go running off and leave us to search for you for the past two hours only to find you back at the house waiting for us. That's just not cool." I snapped at my pseudo father in law as Eric and I walked into the house and found the vampire in question sitting on the bottom step of the staircase in the front hall with his hands tucked under his arms and a blank look on his face that was just a layer to the shock that was going on inside his head right now from what I could gather from his mind. He had left the bar not long after Carina had and I knew it wasn't to go and find her, it was so he could get away and be alone to deal with his shock. After Eric and I had regained our compose after Carina had left the bar, Eric had ordered Pam to leave and seek shelter in human home while he and I looked for Godric. Pam hadn't resisted despite being enamored by Carina and had left right before we did. Eric had tried reaching through his bond to Godric in an attempt to locate him but Godric must have been shielding pretty hard because Eric got nothing but fuzziness. So we just had to try it the old fashioned way and just left the bar to go and look any place where Godric might be. We originally checked the house first but then figured that was too obvious if he wanted to be alone so we tried other places and stopped just shy of calling in Bill and Louie and Helen. The less people that were involved right now the better. At least until we got ourselves together enough to function. So when we came back to the house and found Godric just sitting here like he was waiting for us, I felt a huge sense of relief come over me. At least until I saw that he seemed to be in shock as he didn't even respond to our arrival. I sat down next to him, touching my hand to his arm before saying. "It's going to be ok Godric..."

"You say that because you have too much faith in the universe..."Godric replied quietly, turning his head to look at me and I saw his face tighten with worry. "But you have no idea what we're about to deal with ..."

"Whatever happens will happen and we will take care of it. And it will be ok." I had to keep saying that because I needed to believe it. I needed to believe that it would turn out alright in the end because if I didn't believe it, then I would find myself in despair and I made a promise long ago never to feel that way again. I looked at Eric, who was leaning against the wall by us and then said. "If Carina starts trouble, then we will deal with it...together."

"She's right, if it comes to ending her then we will do it. Simple as that." Eric backed up my statement with all the confidence he could muster which happened to be a lot and that was a good thing. Godric was obviously not in the right frame of mind after seeing his first progeny and he needed Eric's confidence even more then I did. I watched him run his fingers through his slicked back hair and then said. "There's only one of her, she won't be hard to take down if we need to do that."

"I don't believe it will be that simple, it's never that simple." Godric sighed, propping his elbow up on his knee and dropping his chin in his hand. "And I believe that there is more then she is letting on."

"I didn't get anything from her mind, so I couldn't tell you definitively..." I shrugged, wishing I had picked up on something when Carina had been in the bar. Because maybe then it could help us now. Or at least put Godric at ease. I turned back to him. "...what else could be going on.."

"I don't know, I just have this feeling that something else is around the corner.." Godric threw out his hands in frustration before he stood up and walked away from the staircase with his back towards us and his hands on his hips. "Something is happening and it's bad."

"You're just being paranoid because she just showed up out of nowhere and it has put you on edge..." Eric said, straightening up off the wall and standing to his full height as he looked at his maker. I knew Eric was worried too but just not as worried as Godric was. "You're reading too much into it.."

"You say that because you don't know how Carina is, even as a human I knew she was a little off..." Godric turned back to look at Eric and his face tightened into a frown. I could get flashes of things in his mind now but until he completely let his wall down, then nothing was totally clear. "Eric, you don't know what she is like or capable of."

"Even so, she isn't much of a threat alone." Eric shrugged, obviously not picking on something that Godric was trying to get across to him and even I had trouble understanding it. But I was a little more prone to logic then Eric was, so I would come to the realization before he did. Eric was just focused on getting his maker to calm down by any means necessary. "If it's just her, then it's fine."

Godric didn't say anything response and just sighed heavily like his frustration was too much to bear right now. And although I hated seeing him like that, it also made his mind wide open to me and I picked up on something right before he turned on his heels and shot out of the house before Eric and I could stop him. I got to my feet and went to Eric's side where he was just watching the open doorway where Godric had left through and frowned like he didn't understand what had happened. I knew Godric was worried and I knew he was dealing with a lot, but running out when there was trouble brewing was not the best idea. Not to mention it left Eric in a confused state and that wasn't a good thing.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, still looking at the door like he was expecting Godric to pop back in any moment and say it was all good. He scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What's wrong with him?"

"I read his mind just before he left..." I told Eric, stepping to his side and reaching down to lace my fingers with his as I too frowned. I didn't like what I had seen in Godric's head and I wished I hadn't seen it because now I too was on edge and beginning to worry even more then before. Godric hadn't been wrong when he told Eric that Carina was something to be scared about, not wrong at all. I leaned my cheek against Eric's arm and said. "Godric doesn't think she is acting alone in this. He thinks she has someone on her side."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next day<span>_

"We have a problem, like a big serious problem..." My cousin burst through the kitchen doorway the next afternoon in a frantic fury of wild blonde hair and waving arms that caused me to reach over and lower the volume on the radio sitting on the counter behind me and look up to face her sudden arrival with wide eyes. I hadn't even know she was going to come over at all today and beside that, I probably wouldn't have remembered if she had told me. My mind had been consumed with thoughts of Carina's arrival at the bar last night and Godric's reactions, so much so that I had laid in bed for the better part of the morning thinking about it before I got out and tried to go about some resemblance of a normal routine. So when Sookie came in just now, I wasn't even focused enough to be surprised to have her dance her way in and drop down into a chair at the table with a frown. "What are you doing?"

"I'm folding laundry because it needed to be done and it's not exactly high on Eric's list of priorities." I replied, motioning to the basket of stacked clothes that I had just finished doing soon after I had pulled myself out of bed. It wasn't a task that I actually liked doing but it was enough of a distraction to keep my mind occupied until night came and I could talk to Eric and Godric about the Carina situation and we could figure out where to go from here. But Sookie's arrival had actually done more to take my mind off it since it was her words that said we now had a problem that now took precedence in my head. I dropped the pile of unfolded clothes on the table and sat down in the chair across from her. "What do you mean we have a problem?"

"Have you been watching the news at all today?" She asked, sending me a look like it was obvious that I should have been watching or at least heard about whatever it was that had been played on television. But I hadn't turned on the news or the tv at all today so I just shook my head and she simply dropped her face into her hands with a frustrated sigh. "Allie, there have been murders popping up all over Shreveport and the surrounding areas and they are being blamed on vampires."

"Are you serious?" I felt my jaw clench tightly at this news and I found my hands clasped together under the table tight like iron as I suddenly felt off center by yet another piece of news that I felt was somehow related to what had happened last night. "Has there been proof that vampires were responsible?"

"The news reports never said anything about fang marks or the bodies being drained, but the attacks were particularly vicious and I think that's why they are blaming the vamps." Sookie explained, running her hands through her loose hair while trying to hide the worried look in her eyes. I could understand why she found this news so disturbing, the vampires had struggled to get their equal rights for a long time now and a spree of murders being blamed on them could be the very thing that took those rights away. Sookie looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "The reports said that limps were missing from the bodies and that the heads were torn off and hearts ripped out..."

"Ok, that's enough. I don't want to hear any more about that. It's disgusting." I cringed, feeling my stomach turn at the details and I had to close my eyes to get a hold of my self. I never liked or was able to deal with hearing grisly things like how people had died and sometimes it made me sick. So the best thing was to cut it off before it got too deep. "Ok, I agree that it was probably vampires, but I don't think it was just a random act."

"What do you mean?"She asked with a tilt of her head, her lips parted in confusion.

"Carina showed up last night at the bar and confronted Godric. And it wasn't good. And I have a bad feeling about it." I explained as quickly as I could, watching as Sookie's face went from confused to worried in just a matter of seconds. She had been just as shocked as the rest of us to know that Godric had a progeny before Eric but she had been the only one besides me to hold on to her sanity until there was a reason to freak out. And now that time had come apparently. "She was like Eric, but darker and scarier. And her anger towards Godric is just frightening. Like she will do anything to cause trouble for him..."

"Well there you have it, she must be the one behind the murders. If she caused trouble for vampires in general then that would effect Godric since he just wants peace between everyone..." Sookie nodded, seeming like she thought she was on the right track and I thought she was too, except for one thing. Godric's thoughts from last night rang through my mind and while I didn't doubt that Carina was involved, I did doubt that she had been acting alone. Sookie looked at me weirdly. "What is it?"

"I read Godric's mind last night before he left the house and he doesn't think that Carina made her presence known without having some kind of back up with her...He thinks that there is more then just her involved in what is to come."

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

"...Carina showed up at the bar last night and you didn't think at all to call your King and tell me about it?"

"Technically you're my family through Allison, so I didn't think that I had to." Eric replied with a smirk and I had to fight the urge to laugh because of the way Eric's statement had caused Bill's face to darken considerably and they had only just begun talking. I turned my head to the left to find Sookie having the same kind of reaction but she was better at hiding it then me since Bill was facing away from her and he couldn't see her face. Eric didn't bother hiding his amusement and just let it flow out onto his features. "I'm sorry my liege, I mistakenly thought it was a family matter."

I shook my head and fought the urge to roll my eyes, hardly daring to believe that things had taken such a turn around from just this afternoon and even from last night. Sookie had remained with me at the house until night fall when Bill had shown up and Eric had come up from his resting area. Apparently Sookie had left Bill a note to come to Shreveport when he woke and of course the moment he walked through the door, chaos erupted as we all began to throw statements at him and it took more then just a few minutes before he could shut us all up and focus on one thing at a time. He pushed aside the sudden rise in murders in favor for hearing about Carina's arrival at the bar and to say that he had been furious to not be informed until now. According to Bill, things could have already been set in motion by now but because we had waited to tell him about her, we could have caused irreparable damage by waiting.

"Ok, look..." I stepped forward in between the two arguing vampires, feeling the need to call this near fight to an end before it blew up into something more. The last thing anyone needed was to fight when we had other things to be concerned about. "..What's done is done...We can't change the fact that we waited to say anything. But we can band together to come up with a solution now.."

"That's not the point Allison..." Bill sighed, rubbing his hands down his face before setting them on his hips and staring at me. "The point is that there was a sudden uprising in human murders around here in just the last 24 hours, all of which could have been committed before dawn. And who showed up last night?..."

"OK, I get your point. Yea, Carina could have been the one to be behind these attacks but we don't know for sure. Sookie told me about the nature of the murders and it sounds like someone else could be involved. Like maybe a group of vampires instead of just one..." I replied, turning away from Eric to face my cousin in law and crossed my arms. I knew Bill was angry right now but I wasn't scared of him in the slightest. Yes he may try to be intimidating in his own way but I had seen the softer side of him and if there was one thing he valued over his marriage then it was family and I was his family now. So I didn't feel worried to voice an opinion that was different then his. "Think about it, it has to be more then just Carina because it doesn't seem like just one. Maybe it was a group of vamps who are trying to make a point. I mean, these attacks bear a striking resemblance to the murders a few years ago by Russell Edgington and..."

"She's right, they are exactly like those murders so maybe its a matter of extremist vampires..." Sookie's agreement with me trailed off into silence as her eyes focused on Bill's sudden change of expression. My own gaze went to Eric's face and he too shared the same look as Bill. They both turned their heads towards each other and seemed to silently communicate something that Sookie recognized. "Why do you both suddenly look guilty? What did you do?"

"It's because..." I tilted my head to the side as bits and pieces of thoughts from both vampires filled my head and as I began to run them together, I felt my mouth drop open in shock and I shot my head towards them both at nearly the same time. "You two never killed Russell Edgington like you were suppose to!"

"What the hell Allison!" Eric snapped, his face the first to break from it's look of guilt and he turned away from Bill to glare at me, furious that his secret had just been let out. But I was too much in shock to feel scared of that look. I knew of how Russell had been, but I along with the rest of the world had thought he had met the true death since it had been ordered to happen. But obviously that wasn't the case. That had just been confirmed by Eric's thoughts. "I told you not to read my thoughts."

"I couldn't help it, it just happened." I protested, not about to let the blame be thrown at me when I hadn't really done anything. "And if you don't want your thoughts to slip through then shield better next time..."

"Wait wait wait, what the hell is going on here?" Sookie jumped over to my side, her face looking back and forth between her husband and mine. "What do you mean you never killed Russell?"

"I wanted him to suffer as he had made me suffer my entire existence, that's why I didn't kill him. I convinced Bill to help me encase him in silver and then bury him in concrete so he could never find peace in the true death..." Eric explained, looking at me as he spoke and as our eyes locked together, I could see that night years ago flashing through him mind like a picture book. Him and Bill standing at a construction site, him and Bill chaining an enraged looking vampire down into a square pit and then pouring concrete from a truck all over him. It was all there and I understood what he was telling me, but a part of me was just in shock that he hadn't just ended it right there. What if Russell somehow was involved in these murders? Eric seemed to read my mind because he said. "But there is no way that he could have been released and responsible for these attacks. There is just no way..."

"...unless he is the other someone Godric thinks is siding with Carina..."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"...well my dear, it's about time you showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you had abandoned your quest and in essence, also abandoned me..."

"Not a chance, that is something that will never happen. I said I was going to get revenge and I plan on doing just that." Carina said to the hooded figure standing in the middle of the grassy field waiting for her and she took no time at all to meet him at the spot, watching as he threw back his hood and the face of Russell Edgington himself appeared with an almost gleeful smile. As soon as she reached him, Carina threw herself down to her knees to bow at his feet. He was 3 thousand years old and a God in her eyes. He had the power and resources to help her exact revenge on the vampires who had wronged her. It was why she had met him here on the very outskirts of Shreveport, so they could converse and plan their attacks or whatever he wanted to do. She would follow his lead, he could do whatever he wanted and she would help him as long as he helped her just like he promised he would. She felt his hand come under her chin and she looked up to see a very satisfied look on his face as he lifted her back to her feet and nodded in approval at her. She had his respect, that was a good sign. She tucked her thin immortal arms around her before saying. "I did what you asked. Eric Northman and Godric are now aware of my presence here in Louisiana just like you wanted them to..."

"Excellent, that's very good news." Russel lifted his face to the dark night sky and breathed in deeply like he was human again and enjoying the simple act of breathing the night's air. But Carina knew it was only a satisfied reaction to what she had said and she didn't dare to comment on it. She would simply wait until he spoke again, and so she stood there watching him until he righted his head again and looked at her with much more serious. "Now comes the real work and I must ask you one thing. Are you still all in for vengeance?"

"Oh yes sir, I definitely have not changed my mind. Not in the slightest." Carina shook her head so rapidly that Russell's face became a blur from her movements and when she stopped she saw a very happy smirk on his lips, one that she echoed as she now felt she had a true partner. "Godric abandoned me when I was a newborn and Eric took my maker's love. Both of them are going to pay."

"Godric might present a problem considering that before I was imprisoned in that concrete hole, I was under the impression that he had met the true death. But apparently he has somehow come back." Russell frowned deeply, tapping his fingers against his chin in thought and Carina found herself also thinking about that. It was true what he had said, Godric had been presumed dead not that long ago and then he just suddenly popped up again. Carina had been following both Godric and Eric on and off for the past thousand years just waiting for the right moment to strike. And she had almost thought that nature had taken care of it for her. But somehow Godric had was still around and it had be by some kind of miracle. Russell shook his head. "I suspect the Faerie had something to do with it. The way you described her to me makes me think that she could be responsible..."

"That bitch is going to die too." Carina snapped, her eyes narrowing so tightly that she couldn't see through the slits. She hated that Faerie despite the fact that she had the most delicious smelling blood running through her veins. She hated her for the simple fact that both Godric and Eric appeared protective over her. That should have been for her and not Allison. Godric and Eric should have been taking care of Carina and instead she had been left on her own Well she was no longer in need of protecting, her mind was only focused on payback and everyone who stood in her way. "I'm going to fucking rip her throat out and enjoy watching her suffer."

"I suppose that solidifies your stance on vengeance." Russell chuckled, reaching out to pat her shoulder as if he were proud of her statement like a human father would. He retracted his hand and nodded. "If it's revenge that you truly want, then I will help you. Because I too have my own reason for striking back against those assholes."

"They don't stand a chance." Carina smirked more to herself as she thought of the millennium old grudge she had been harboring against her maker and vampire brother and now his wife. They had all wronged her in some way and she wasn't going to let them rest easy. She looked at Russell. "I knew it was the right thing to form an alliance with you."

"It always is..." Russell pressed his lips tightly together as his eyes looking around the empty field surrounding them before saying. "And you will be rewarded for your loyalty as well as for being the one to release me from my concrete tomb."

"I would do it every time if it ever came to that again. You're the only one who can help me." Carina replied as honestly as she ever had in her entire existence. It wasn't often when she was keen on asking for help, but she knew that if she wanted to make those who had hurt her suffer as she had then she would need the most powerful vampire she could find. She was only 1,001 years old and against her vampire brother who was essentially the same age and her maker who was double that, she didn't stand a chance alone. But with Russell who was older then all of them and more diabolical, then she definitely had a better chance of getting what she wanted. She looked at the 3,000 year old vampire and asked. "So...what do we do now?"

"Now...we play."

**A/N: Oh boy, Russell is back ! and Carina was the one to free him and now they are teaming up together...this leads to so many problems and questions...what will they do first...how will they exact their revenge...who will they go through...how far will they go...oh man, i cannot wait to write the rest of this fic...i have big plans for russell...he was one of my favorite characters from season 3 and i know they are bringing him back for season 5 and i decided long ago to do my own take on it...please review !**


	3. Fanning the flames

**Chapter 3 Fanning the flames**

"Allie? Allie wake up and pay attention. We have a problem!"

"Another one?" I groaned, closing my eyes with the phone pressed against my ear as I buried myself even deeper into the blankets and pillows like I thought that would just magically turn back time and this phone call had never disturbed me out of my deep slumber. But it had. I had just been on the brink of a really good and frankly explicit dream when the phone had run and of course it had to be my cousin on the other line. At first I had ignored her and just let the ringing die away. But Sookie would not be ignored and had called and called again until I finally picked up and growled into the phone so she knew I was annoyed with her. And even now when I heard her tapping her foot on the other end of the line, I was still a little irked because it was very rare when I woke up and didn't hate the day before it began and I knew once she started talking then my day would be ruined because whenever she called or came by, it was always about something. I sat up with the sheets falling around my waist and asked. "Alright, I'm up. Now what's wrong?"

"It's Alcide, I tried to call him to see if he had heard anything about the attacks and whether he had any leads..." Sookie's voice wobbled a little bit as she spoke and that instantly made me jump out of bed as I could tell that this was exactly the problem, even if she hadn't finished explaining it yet. I already felt my stomach clenching up tightly and my heart racing as it always did when I was about to be told bad news. "Allie, he's not picking up either of his phones."

"Sookie, that doesn't necessarily mean anything bad." I told her, feeling my shoulders sink slightly when she said this as well as feeling a flood of relief shoot through me. This was nothing to be concerned about, it was just Sookie making a big deal out of something minor. I almost saw the amusement in this situation which I didn't often do lately. "Sookie, he's probably at work and that's why he isn't picking up..."

"No no no. You're wrong!" Sookie interrupted very sharply, her tone taking me by surprise so much that my momentary rush of relief went away fairly quickly and I was back to feeling my nerves racing. "Allie, I called his office and they said he hasn't been in for 2 days.."

"He's probably just taking some time off. You're jumping to conclusions over an assumption. Look, I will try calling him. He likes me, he'll probably pick up for me..." I said jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood enough so she wouldn't be so worried, but I heard the rapid labored breathing on her end and knew that there would be no calming her down until she heard for herself that he was definitely alright. And to be honest, I was kind of feeling that way too. Alcide was a friend to both of us, if Sookie had cause to be scared about him, then I should too. "Sookie, I'll call you back in a few minutes..."

I hung up before she could say anything and once I ended the call, I immediately went through my contacts to find Alcide's number and hit it right away. As I listened to the line ringing, I sat on the edge of the bed waiting to hear his voice. I knew it was going to be ok, Alcide was ok and nothing else was wrong. It had to be true and Sookie just had to be worrying over nothing. Alcide was our friend but he didn't have to check in with us about everything he did so I was fairly certain that he was just off doing his own thing. But the longer the phone rang and the more time went by when he didn't pick up, the more I felt my resolve slip away. The ringing when right to voice mail but I ended the call before it beeped and I just sat there with the phone in my hand and a frown on my face.

"Hmm..That was weird, I was sure he would pick up when he saw it was me calling." I frowned even deeper when I realized what I had told Sookie had been wrong. Alcide wouldn't pick up just because it was me who was calling and that kind of bruised my ego a little bit. Maybe I had hurt him when he had confessed his feelings to me and maybe that's why we hadn't spoken since then. But this wasn't about us at all, there were murders popping up all over the place and we all needed to check in with each other to make sure none of our own had joined the dead. And I felt like Alcide was included in my circle despite his dislike for vampires. And that's why I felt the need to make sure he was alright. I raised the phone to my ear again. "Come on Alcide, pick up the god damn phone."

I felt like an idiot for saying this over and over again in my head, because deep down I knew he wouldn't pick up this time. But I still held out hope and maybe that was naive or childlike of me but I couldn't help being that kind of person. So I sat there listening to the ringing, anxiously tapping my foot on the wood floor before I heard the beep and then Alcide's voice mail message playing again. I hit the end button rather hard and punched my fists down into the mattress in frustration. I hated to admit it, but maybe Sookie had a point in thinking the worse. Oh she was going to love hearing that. I grabbed my phone again and hit her speed dial number, dreading what I was going to have to tell her.

"Did you hear anything?" She didn't even greet me as she picked up right after the first ring. She must have been sitting by the phone waiting for me to call back, because I wasn't expecting her to pick up right away. "Did you talk to him?"

"No I didn't. I called twice but there was no answer, it went right to voice mail." I explained with a sigh running my fingers through my tangled hair worriedly as my lips pressed together. I was trying not to think of the worse but it was hard not to. With all the things that had happened lately and in the past few years, I had to start expecting that even the smallest things could be a prelude to something much bigger, including this thing with Alcide. "Sookie, you don't think that Alcide could be..."

"That's exactly what I think. I'm worried that he could be one of the victims of these sudden murders and we just don't know..." She didn't hide the fear in her voice nor did I push back against the fear that I felt in my chest because it was entirely possible that Alcide could be hurt or even dead. And that terrified me more then I could even admit out loud. "But he's a werewolf, he couldn't possibly be a victim that easily. Right?"

"Right, he's strong. He's probably ok..." I nodded but I was saying it more to convince her then myself. Because if she knew what I was thinking right now then it would just make her fear grow which would in turn make me feel worse then I already did. It was just easier to pretend that it was all just a misunderstanding until we had actual proof that said he was in trouble. "I don't think we should worry until we know for sure that he was targeted. Otherwise it will just drive us crazy. So let's just relax and trust that he is ok."

"I hope you're right..." Sookie replied, her voice heavy with dread and apprehension.

"I hope I'm right too." I sighed heavily, not knowing if I could handle not being right about this.

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

_"...and in sad news, another murder in Shreveport has joined the growing ranks of victims being targeted by what seems like a vampire ..."_

"Allison? Why are you watching that?" Godric's voice reached my ears first and pulled my eyes off the television set to where he and Eric were walking through the front hallway to the doorway of the living room with steps so quiet that I hadn't even heard them come up from the basement. Not that I would have noticed otherwise because after Sookie's call this morning and the news that had been playing all day on tv, my mind was sufficiently distracted and I was amazed that the entire day had passed as quickly as it had and that it was now night and both Eric and Godric had risen to find me sitting in the living room with a frown on my face. I was surprised that Godric had spoken first given Eric's stubborn nature to always be heard first. But he held back slightly as they came into the room and sat beside me. "You don't need to..."

"Shhh, be quiet." I shot him a look as my voice swung up in intensity so suddenly that his eyes got big with shock that I had spoken to him that way. Eric's hand instantly came down hard on my leg, more out of worry then anger for the way I had spoken to his maker. But I couldn't care about my tone right now as this news report was going on and I was hoping beyond all hope that this new victim wasn't Alcide. I motioned to the tv with a jut of my chin. "Shut up, I need to hear this."

_"..The victim, a young female who was walking home the night before was found on the side of the road early this morning with a multitude of catastrophic injuries that included missing limbs, blood loss and..." _I had to turn my head away from the screen and block off my ears for a while before I heard any more gruesome details that would end up haunting my dreams for nights to come. I felt a sense of relief shoot through me when I knew it wasn't Alcide but that was short lived as it didn't mean that things were completely ok since I still hadn't spoken to him. Not to mention that there was yet another victim to add to the growing list that gave me chills as there shouldn't have even been a list to begin with. Who could do this kind of thing an not feel anything about it? Well, vampires came to mind but it couldn't have been anyone I knew. Well it technically would be someone I knew in passing, but not who I would ever count as a friend. Just thinking about it made me want to get up and leave the room.

"This is bad, extremely bad..." Godric reached over and took the remote out of my hand and turned the television off before tossing the remote onto the table in front of us. I saw him tapping his foot on the floor for a minute while Eric was as still as a statue on the other side of me, both of them blocking their minds from me until Godric spoke to what had to be on all three of our minds. "This carnage, this..massacre. It has to be Carina's doing."

"I think you're right but I also think you were right before..." I turned to look at him and I saw the conflicted look on his face and felt bad for him. This was his progeny that was causing damage and I know it brought up old pain for him that he didn't want to remember. Not to mention he was probably experiencing guilt that if he had just kept her with him and taught her how to be a vampire, then she would never have begun on this quest for revenge. But I was quite certain that it wasn't just Carina who had put her on this path. "I'm certain now that it isn't just her. I think maybe Russell is behind..."

"Enough! Just stop it right there." Eric interrupted me out of nowhere but it wasn't his interruption that made me jump, it was the sudden anger and slight fear tinge to his voice that startled me into bumping into Godric before turning to face Eric. He got up off the couch and stood up to his full height with his hands on his hips and his eyes narrowed. "That is a crazy idea. And it's not even possible..."

"Actually it is quite possible, Carina said she had been watching us this whole time and we never even knew it. She could have found out about our history with Russel and went to have him dug up. You know that it could have happened like that. Or do you not remember what happened with Helen?" Godric asked Eric, his own eyes set into slits as he stared at his progeny and even though I could tell Eric was trying not to see sense, I could. Godric had a beyond big point. He and Louie hadn't known Helen had been alive this whole time until recently and she had been following them for the past thousand years without their knowledge and knew everything about them and even me. Who was to say that Carina hadn't done the exact same thing and found out about the past with Russell and went to have him dug up for help? Godric shook his head at Eric. "Listen to reason my son, you have to consider all possibilities..."

"I don't have to consider anything." Eric snapped harshly, not liking even when his maker pointed out him being wrong. Eric just was not one to have his mistakes being made obvious to him by anyone, and he would say anything to overshadow that. He ran his long fingers through his slicked back hair and growled. "Even if she did know about Russell and thought to dig him up, we would have known if it had happened. The site belongs to Alcide's family, he would have called if something like this..."

"No, he wouldn't have called because he's not picking up his phone..." I cut in, jumping up to my feet to stare at Eric so he knew I wasn't just saying this to shut him up. He needed to know that there was all sort of things going on that needed his attention besides his refusal to believe that Russell was back. "Sookie tried calling him this morning and so did I but he's not picking up his phone. His off said he hadn't been in for 2 days..."

"2 days ago was when Carina showed up." Godric pointed out, a thought that had passed through my mind a few times but I had always pushed back because it scared me to think of Alcide crossing paths with her. Godric stood up with us and wrinkled his forehead. "She might have something to do with Alcide's absence and Russell's..."

"Godric, do not encourage her! She's already spinning these crazy ideas in her head and she doesn't need you egging her on." Eric was looking wild and crazy as he glared at us, like he was hating that we shared the same idea and he was on the other side of the line of it and alone. "This doesn't mean anything."

"It could and we all need to start facing it as a very real and plausible outcome..."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"Eric, I don't think this is such a good idea to come to the bar tonight. I feel like it's putting us out in the open like a target..." I said to my husband quietly as we bypassed the line of people gathered in front of Fangtasia and walked in the door with many pairs of eyes at our backs, but for once my mind was not on all the looks that we were getting. It was on how going to the bar after watching the news was almost like we were rubbing it in people's faces and I was worried that there might be backlash because of it. It wouldn't matter that this was Eric's business, if people were blaming vampires for these murders, then they would say something even to the owner of this bar or something even worse. I had tried to explain this to Eric on the way here but he didn't seem to think it was as big a deal as I thought it was. If anything he thought I was just spinning worry out of nothing but it was him who wasn't taking this seriously enough. Who knew what could happen with all this chaos going on around us. The murders, Carina, Russell's possible return, Alcide's disappearance, it was all so much to think about and I knew it was somehow connected to everything else but trying to tell Eric that was like expecting a brick wall to talk back. And as we entered the loudness of the bar, I found myself moving closer to him and slipping my hand around his arm as the anxiety hit me full force. "Eric, I have a bad feeling..."

"You always think something is going to happen." Eric turned his face downward to stare at him and the lighting caught the side of his face and made him look even paler and more magical then he already did. I saw the playfulness in his eyes and I hated that I couldn't be that way with him, but I just had this sinking feeling that something wasn't right in the bar. Eric's hand came around to my back and pressed me forward into his arms while his fingers tucked my hair behind my ear. "Just because things aren't perfect doesn't mean that one night is going to fall apart into chaos.."

"Well I'm sorry I can't be as easy going as you." I almost snapped, pushing him away in annoyance that he wasn't taking me seriously but I wasn't really mad at him. But if he thought I was then maybe he would change his tone. I glared up at his smirking face and rolled my eyes. "You are so infuriating."

"Yes but you can't get enough of me still..." Eric wrinkled his nose at me in such a way that I could already feel a smile starting to twitch at my lips. He grinned triumphantly as he ran his fingers through his hair and looked around at the crowd with a smirk and I was on the verge of asking him about it when I saw his expression change suddenly into something much more stormy. "Shit!"

"Oh god what is it?" I immediately felt myself go on alert as I stepped closer to him and grabbed on to his arm as I saw that he was staring at something across the floor towards the back wall. I followed the direction of his eyes, trying to prepare myself for whatever it was that had changed his mood so drastically. But then I spotted it, there in a booth against the wall and surrounded by many human companions was Carina, and instantly I felt Eric stiffen beside me. "Oh shit is right."

"I can't believe she's here. What the hell is her agenda?" Eric growled lowly, his blue orbs turning to slits as he stared at Carina who had now also spotted us and was waving at us like we were all old friends. But there was a devious smile on her face and I could tell she was waiting for Eric to come over a cause a scene. Eric's arm tensed under my hand, like he was going to do just what she was expecting him to do and go over there. "I should throw her out, or snap her neck or do..."

"Eric, no! Causing a scene is not the way to take care of this. Things are already tense enough without you creating carnage in the middle of your bar." I whispered furiously to him, keeping my eyes on the booth and my mind open to see if she could hear us from here. But she either was blocking me or just wasn't interested in trouble because I didn't get anything from her head. But still, I kept myself on alert as I tightened my grip on Eric's arm. "Don't do anything, it will just make things worse."

"So what do you propose I do? Stand here pretending like she isn't in the same room as me?" Eric turned his narrowed eyes down on me and for just a second I felt my heart skip a beat. It always made me nervous when Eric was mad but this time was different because he was also tense and that combined with being mad was never a good thing. "Tell me, Allison what I am suppose to do here?"

"Well first off, you can lower your voice before you attract more attention..." I nodded to the crowd behind us where there were quite a few humans watching us curiously and it wasn't until Eric spun around and sent them a glare that they went back to what they were doing. When he looked at me again, I reached for his hands. "Just act normal and I will get a seat closer to her so maybe I can pick something out of her head..."

"Are you crazy? I can't let you get that close, especially if I'm not with with you..." Eric shook his head, his hands tightening over my wrist quickly as if to hold me in place from taking off. "No.."

"It's the only way to know for sure what her next move is going to be and we need to know so we can stop her and end her. And if you're with me then it might distract her and she wont show me what I need to find out." I explained, looking off to the side to Carina's booth and I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably at the thought of going anywhere near her. She was dangerous and I was certain she was behind some of the murders and possibly was the reason why Alcide wasn't to be found and I had to know for sure if she was and what else she had planned to do. But first I needed to assure Eric that I would be safe. "Look, I promise to stay near the bar and near Pam and only listen from there. I promise not to get any closer."

"Your promises don't always mean much.." He grumbled, frowning at me but I could tell that he was relenting. I couldn't quite read his mind but I knew that he was on the same page as me. He knew how important it was that we knew whatever we could to get a leg up over her and if she was working with Russell, then we needed to know what else to expect. Eric pressed his lips together before saying. "You signal me if something is wrong. Promise me that or else I won't leave you alone."

"I promise on my life and our marriage that I will get your attention if something is wrong." I nodded to back up my sentiment and grinned when he cupped my face in his large hands and pressed his lips against mine before he headed towards the stage and his throne and left me standing by the bar alone with a slightly dazed look on my face. Once I had gotten my composure back, I turned to see Pam standing behind the bar counter at the end closer to the booth and I walked over to where she was and slide onto a stool in front of her before frowning. "What's with the look?"

"Oh nothing, you just have Eric wrapped around your finger like a damn puppy dog." Pam appeared amused by this as she pushed a bottle of blood at a vampire sitting a few seats down before leaning forward with her elbows on the counter. "Are you going to change his diaper now too?"

"Pam...shut up."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"Damn it, this isn't working..." I said under my breath as I adjusted my position on the bar stool for what seemed like the millionth time in the last 60 minutes and just like the last time, I thought moving around would somehow make my mind more open or connect to Carina's mind, but that just was not the case. I hadn't moved from this spot and she hadn't left the booth even though the humans that surrounded her were constantly being replaced with new ones and yet she never left. I don't know if she knew what I was trying to do or what but I just wasn't getting anything. She wasn't blocking me which would have made sense for why I couldn't read her thoughts, but her mental blocks were not up. She just was purposely thinking about nothing and a vampire could do that more easily then a human could. And yet I still tried to push past it to see something else and there was just more nothing. The harder I tried to concentrate, the more my head began to ache and throb. I had never had to try this hard to read a mind of any being, but Carina was stubbornly thinking of nothing to throw me off and it was beginning to take it's toll. I pulled my eyes off the both and looked across the crowded floor to the stage where Eric was sitting up straight in his chair watching me. I had to smile because despite how tense he looked, he was still incredibly handsome and looking at him was enough of a break for my mind that my head stopped hurting. Maybe I just wasn't going to find out anything, maybe she was just here to put us on edge and that was all. I was going to get up off my stool and go over to Eric when I felt a gust of wind blow my hair across my eyes and knew it was a vampire who had slide into the stool beside me. By the time I had brushed my hair back and turned to the side, I already had a good idea who it was. "Well it's about time you came over to say hello.."

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you." Carina sent a smirk at me, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously and I knew without even being able to read her thoughts that she had bad things on her mind. I saw Eric looking ready to pounce on the other side of the room and I quickly had to shake my head at him to tell him no. I was certain that Carina wasn't going to hurt me and if Eric charged over then it could ruin any chance of me hearing anything good. I watched him ease back down in the chair but his hands still curled over the arms of it as he glared over at us. Carina found this amusing as she threw her head back and laughed. "Wow, he looks angry."

"Can you blame him? You haven't exactly given him a reason to like you all that much." I retorted, keeping my guard up in case I needed to react at a moment's notice. I didn't relish the idea of using my powers in front of a group of vampires because the less who knew what I was the better. But that would be the furthest thing from my mind if I had to protect myself. I maintained my composure as I tilted my head in her direction. "What's your deal with trying to ruin everything? I get that you have issues with him and Godric..."

"Issues is putting it nicely." She narrowed her eyes, flipping her long dark hair behind one shoulder before reaching out and clamping her hand down hard on my leg to the point where I knew there would be a dark bruise there in a few hours. But the second her hand made contact with me, it seemed to break down the mental wall she had put up and suddenly her thoughts were running rampant. I almost smiled because now I would be able to pick through things more easily. But I had to hide that because if she knew I was on a mission then I would lose my advantage. She however seemed a little distracted by my mention of Godric and Eric. "Your precious little maker/progeny pair isn't as wonderful as you think they are."

"I am aware of that. I don't need some vampire bitch telling me something I already know." I couldn't help but snap at her, jumping when her fingers tightened on me harshly. I was very protective over Eric and Godric despite the troubles I had had with the both of them and I was well aware that their whole existence was anything but perfect. But hearing it come from Carina, whose voice was filled with such hatred, well that rubbed me the wrong way. "They're not as bad as you are trying to make them see. They aren't perfect but no one is.."

"That's adorable. A little naive Faerie is trying to make me be nice to two ass hole vampires. Isn't that just the sweetest thing ever?" Carina taunted me as her fingers curled almost painfully over my leg but I let her do this because the prolonged contact was filtering her thoughts rapidly the longer she touched me. I saw flashes, images of her speaking to another vampire wearing a hood. I couldn't see the face but I knew it was a vampire judging by the way the figure flashed away quickly. Carina either wasn't aware that I was seeing this, or she just didn't care. "You obviously have no idea of the true nature of who you associate with.."

"I have a better idea of who they are more then you do." I didn't let her in on the fact that a lot of the things I found out about Godric's past was by accident from my new found ability. She may know that I was a faerie but she didn't know I could read vampire minds. So I was fine with leaving it there and just keeping her talking. "I know some of their darkest moments and yet I can still be around them and not judge. How can you be so full of hate?"

"And how can you be so incredibly stupid?" She narrowed her brilliant blue eyes at me before they darted across the floor to a group of human and I saw her lips curl upward. But that wasn't nearly as disturbing as what her thoughts were doing. I didn't focus on it too much, but I did see glimpses of her hunting down humans and pouncing on them like lion with blood and limbs flying everywhere. It was enough to make my stomach turn and I saw that Eric had felt that go through me because his eyes met my face worriedly and I still shook my head at him. I needed to keep him away just a little bit longer. I knew I was getting closer to something. She turned away from the humans and back to me. "Because you are stupid if you think there are any redeeming qualities in Eric or Godric. Or in any vampire in general."

"And you're stupid for thinking you can get away with causing trouble. I know you're behind the attacks on..." I heard my voice fall away as I saw a single, uninterrupted sequence go from her head to mine. It was in a parking garage and it showed Alcide walking across the empty pavement towards his truck with nothing else around him. At least until Carina showed up out of nowhere and nearly knocked him out. I saw her climb on top of him just as her fangs slide out and the shock of seeing that caught me by surprise so much that I nearly fell off the stool to the floor as her hand suddenly left my leg. Luckily I was able to get my feet back under me and stand up straight just as two gusts of winds blew my hair every which way and caused the humans to gasp collectively. By the time I was able to look around, Carina was no where to be seen and the door to the bar was practically hanging off its hinges. Eric was at my side probably the instant I had reacted to the thought and I felt his hands on my shoulders as I looked at him.

"What did you see?" He looked more angry then worried but I saw his eyes show much more to his true nature and I knew he was anxious about what Carina's thoughts had done to me. His hands moved up to my face and kept me looking at him. "Allison, what did you find out?"

"She uh..she's behind the attacks, but she had help." I told him, thinking of the hooded figure and how I had a good idea about who it was but I didn't say it out loud. Partially because I knew what reaction Eric would have and also because there was something more pressing to mention. "She also attacked Alcide not that long ago..."

"At least that answers one question.." He nodded, dropping his hands from my face to grasp my wrists gently. But even his touch couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension in my chest and he must have realized it because he asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Carina attacking Alcide..." I saw a flash of jealousy pass through Eric's eyes but I couldn't be bothered to worry about it right now. That wasn't nearly as important as the thought that was going through my mind right now. A thought that I didn't want to face as fact because of how terrible it made me feel. I looked at Eric. "...I couldn't tell if she left him alive or not..."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"So...did you do it? Did you accomplish what I sent you out to do?"

"Yes sir, I certainly did. And it happened just like you said it would.." Carina found herself grinning truly as she walked across the darkened road towards the grass where Russell stood right under the shadow of a low hanging tree and came to a stop with her hands tucked into her pockets. She knew that when he told her what to do at Fangtasia that it was all part of the bigger picture for their quest for revenge. But deep down she didn't want to take her time, she just wanted to jump into it and start tearing her maker and vampire brother apart very painfully. But Russell had other ideas and seemed quite happy going the opposite direction in taking his time before getting violent even though he had more of a reason to lash out right now. But Russell was 3 times as old as she was and if he said they needed to do things his way, then she would do whatever he ordered her to do. And drawing out the torture wouldn't be unsatisfying, it would just make them suffer as they had made her suffer. She grinned up at Russell and shook her loose hair out of her face. "I went there and made my presence known. And when Eric left the Faerie alone, I waited for the right moment before I went over to her..."

"I'm sure Mr Northman did not appreciate another vampire around his pet..." Russell smirked to himself, his arms crisscrossing over his chest as he raised his eyes to the black night sky. "Go on..."

"I knew that the Fae could read minds of all kinds of supernaturals, but never vampire minds. And I knew you wanted to know if the rumors were true, if she were the only one of her kind to ever penetrate our heads..." Carina explained, her face slightly darkening at the thought of that stupid Faerie. It was bad enough that she had the love and devotion of the two vampires who were suppose to be there for Carina, but Allison also just had to be the rarest of her kind and do the one thing that no Fae was ever suppose to do. It pissed Carina off and she didn't bother hiding her feeling about it. But Russell didn't want to hear about that right now. "And I purposely thought about the humans we hunted and drained and tortured, I showed that I wasn't working alone but what she really reacted to was when I thought about that Werewolf Alcide. The stupid blood-bag practically fell off her chair, you would think she actually cares about the dog..."

"Excellent, very excellent..." Russell looked beyond pleased by this little bit of news and his face actually brightened into a smile as if she had just presented him with a houseful of Faeries to drain. He intertwined his hands together and smacked his lips together before saying. "We may be able to use the Faerie as a means of getting revenge on Eric and Godric. She could prove to be useful.."

"Yes, useful for fulfilling my need to torture something..." Carina frowned, her thoughts swimming darkly and deeply about the girl she hated nearly as much as she hated her maker and definitely more then she hated Eric. That damn Faerie had taken her spot in Godric's life, Godric looked at Allison like she was his daughter. He had never looked at Carina like that and that fact just made her hate the brunette even more. She looked at Russell almost pleadingly. "I wouldn't mind torturing her too if the occasion arises."

"That will not happen because we need her to be uninjured if we hope to use her in some way.." Russell shook his head as if he found this whole thing amusing, which he probably did. "But your blood lust and thirst for revenge is very inspiring.."

"Your approval means a great deal to me master.." Carina bowed her head at him, feeling her allegiance switch entirely over to him. Godric may be her maker still even after she had their blood bond broken by magic, but he no longer had her loyalty or trust. He lost that the night he released her from his care and took off like the coward that he was. And it may have taken a thousand years, but she had finally found someone worthy of picking up the slack left behind by Godric. Someone who could help her avenge herself and the wrong doings handed to her and that someone was definitely Russell. It was because of him that this whole plan was falling into place the way it was. Every task he had her do had a purpose, even the one she hadn't thought about and was now curious over. She felt a smirk slide onto her lips before she said. "And now that things are in place, I do have one question.."

"And what would that be my dear?" Russell asked as sweetly as anyone had ever spoken to her but she knew it was just his charm that had kept him getting his way for all these years but she still grinned back.

"What are we going to do with the werewolf?" Carina had been curious about why she had been sent out to attack the enormous Were days ago and then imprison him without a reason being given and this was really the first time she had thought to ask what the plan was to use him for. "I mean, I must have kept him alive for a reason..."

"...Oh, we'll figure out a use for him..."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at the house<span>_

"Alright, can you stop it with that damn look? It's really getting on my nerves."

"What the hell is your problem? You've been acting like a real ass ever since I told you what I heard in Carina's mind and I don't understand." I followed Eric as he stormed inside the house, kicking the door shut behind me with my foot as I went as I tried like hell to reach him but he was moving far too fast and it wasn't even at vampire speed. He had been acting like he couldn't wait to get away from and his long legs carried him farther and father away until I had to run just to keep up with him. I didn't understand what had happened to make his mood go downhill so damn fast but he was obviously irked by something. It couldn't have been just finding out that Carina and another was behind the attacks, it had to be something more then that. But his change in mood had happened so out of nowhere that I couldn't figure it out but was determined to get to the bottom of. I reached out and grabbed his arm before he could go upstairs. "Eric! What the hell is going on? Why are you acting so weird?"

"Are you really that clueless? Or are you purposely just trying to rub it in my face?" He snapped, whipping around to face me with his eyes practically shooting fire down into my face. I almost stepped back but that would have shown fear and I refused to pretend that I was scared of my husband because I wasn't. Well, maybe I was. But I would never say it.

"What could I possibly be rubbing in your face when nothing that is going on has anything that could have pissed you off this badly?" I snapped, hating that he was basically on the verge of throwing a tantrum and accusing me of something that I had no idea about. I tucked my hands under my arms and frowned up at him. "I'm trying to understand here Eric, but you have to give me something..."

"It's that damn Alcide! You are obviously worried about his so called well being more then anything else you heard!" He exclaimed, his face becoming so animated that I was shocked that I hadn't realized he had been jealous this whole time. After all, I had seen that look on his face briefly when we were still in the bar but I had been so consumed with whether or not Alcide was alive or not that I hadn't paid much attention it after that. And now looking at Eric and seeing his anger tinging on the brink of explosion, I almost stopped being nervous and started smiling. And that was something Eric really didn't like. "You think this is funny?"

"It is funny if you actually are jealous of him. Because there is nothing to be jealous of you crazy fool." I rolled my eyes as he pushed passed me to stomp across the hallway and into the living room. I followed after him with my head shaking. Yes, I cared about Alcide and yes I even found him very attractive, but that was all there was to it. It was never going to be anything more then that, but Eric obviously thought it was and nothing seemed to convince him other wise. He was standing in front of the fire when I walked in. "Eric, get a grip. I love you. Not him."

"But you have feelings for him, you can't get that worried about someone unless you have feelings for them." Eric replied bitterly, keeping his back towards me while he leaned one arm against the mantle piece edge. I could practically feel the jealousy rolling off of him and knowing that he was that enraged at the thought of me wanting someone else was enough to make me smile for the first time all day. "I know you feel something for him."

"Yea...worry for my friend. That's the only thing I feel." I sighed, walking across the carpet towards him. "He's my friend and I'm worried just like I would be worried if Godric or Bill or Louie went missing and I saw who did it. It doesn't go beyond that."

"I'm not convinced." Eric certainly didn't seemed swayed and it was almost cute. But I knew this wasn't the time to be not taking him seriously. He was very obviously bothered by the whole Alcide business and I didn't want him to think that his feelings weren't important. But he was acting ridiculous. He turned around to look at me with his arms crossed over his chest. "I think you have feelings for the werewolf."

"And I think you're nuts. Yes, I find him attractive but you have found other women attractive too and yet I never got jealous. Because I knew you wouldn't do anything because you loved me and I trusted you. So trust me and trust the fact that my worrying about my friend doesn't mean I want to be with him." I walked up to him and before he could push me away, I slipped my arms around his waist and pressed myself against him. I could feel him tense up but he didn't pull away so I knew he was finally letting his guard down. I loved Eric and I always had and just because I thought Alcide was very nice to look at, it didn't mean anything else. I tilted my head back to look at him with a smile. "I love you and only you. There will never be anyone else. And if you don't believe that then there will never be hope for us. So please, trust me."

"I trust you, but I don't trust him. And if he is still alive, then I just know he will try and worm his way in..."

"He's not like that and you need to stop assuming that every attractive male is out to steal me away. You never got this jealous over Louie or even when Godric and I first formed our blood bond. What's so different about Alcide?" I smiled when I saw his face starting to become less tense and I brought my hands up to his chest and slide them up to his shoulders. "We have enough to worry about. But you losing me is not one of them. OK?"

"Fine, consider it dropped." He grumbled, reaching up to cup my face with his fingers getting tangled in my loose hair. I saw the slightest curl to his lips so I knew it was going to be ok between us. And I didn't want to ruin it any further by giving voice to the tiny flame of fear inside of me, so I chose to ignore it. But there was never hiding my emotions from him and I saw his eyes narrow questioningly. "What?"

"I don't want to piss you off..." I sighed, knowing I would have to tell him. It would end up coming out eventually so I might as well do it now. "I'm still worried about Alcide. I know you hate hearing about that. But what if something happened to him? It scares me to think that he might be pain or that Carina could be torturing him.."

"You're right, that does piss me off." He shook his head, looking like he wanted to punch something but he held back. Maybe it was out of respect for me or he was just realizing he couldn't fly off the handle about everything. Whatever the reason, he just shrugged and looked at me with an expression of surrender. "We'll figure out what happened to him. If it means that much, then we will find out."

"And that's why you're the best husband ever." I grinned, standing up on my tiptoes so I could kiss him and I was beyond relieved when he kissed me back. I may not have answers to a lot of things and there were always more questions piling up then I could ever hope to stop. But at least right now, Eric and I were on the same page. And as long as we were together, then it would be alright. It would always be alright.


	4. Steal your heart

**Chapter 4 Steal your heart**

"So remind me again why we are driving to Fangtasia instead of flying with one of you holding me?"

"Because my darling wife, you are looking particularly hot tonight and I will not have that ruined by doing something as barbaric as flying to my place of business..." Eric explained with a devious smirked as he sat behind the wheel of his car and drove fast down the highway towards the bar while I sat in the passenger seat next to him, trying and failing to get my short black dress to cover more of my legs. I shot Eric as look of annoyance for getting me to agree to wear this skimpy outfit tonight despite my resistance of dressing overtly sexy in a bar full of vampires. I already stood out enough as Eric's wife and a full blooded Faerie. The last thing I needed was more attention on me because of the lack of clothes I was wearing. But Eric liked it when I dressed like this because it wasn't the norm for me and even in the dark interior of the car, I could see him smirking. "...And wasn't it you saying we needed more normal, calm things in our lives since everything else is so crazy?"

"Yes Eric, I did say that." I pretended to grumble, rolling my eyes as I remembered that conversation just a few hours earlier when he suggested coming here. After everything that had been happening lately with Carina and the attacks, I had said that we needed to establish one element of normalcy since things were bound to blow up sooner or later. And I guess this was his idea of normal, driving to a vampire bar rather then flying. I turned sideways in my seat and looked over my shoulder. "Godric? Have anything to add?"

"No, I am quite content in just sitting back and listening to the two of you." Godric replied with a grin as he just shrugged at me as if this was amusing to him and it probably was. He had always seemed to get a lot of pleasure from listening to Eric and I banter back and forth. I watched him glance out the window as we turned on to the street where the bar was located before he said. "You both still manage to find something to laugh and argue about even in the face of looming danger."

"Would you really expect anything less from us?" I asked, smiling at him with a shake of my head as Eric pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the back of the building where he always parked. There was a line of humans lined up near the front but the line snaked around the corner to the back parking lot, all of them looking desperately excited to get in. I wanted to roll my eyes at how sad the whole thing was and I would have done just that had it not been for the lone figure leaning against the back door of the bar as Eric pulled the car to a stop. "Oh shit."

"What is she doing here?" Eric snapped, yanking the keys out of the ignition before throwing then in the center cup hold and was out of the car before either Godric or I could say anything. We barely exchanged a look and then scrambled out of the car and into the parking lot where Eric was standing just a few feet away from Carina with his hands curled into fists and fire practically shooting out of his eyes. The humans towards the end of the line were turning around to look at what was happening as Godric instinctively grabbed my wrist to hold me back from going to Eric's side. Eric glared at his vampire sister and demanded. "What the hell do you want?"

"Can't I just come see where all the vampires gather in Shreveport without there being some kind of hidden agenda?" She asked with a curl to her lips, her arms crossed over her chest and her long dark hair gathered into a loose ponytail at the side of her neck and her blue eyes studying the humans curiously. "Or maybe I didn't want to work too hard for tonight's meal.."

"There's no feeding allowed on this property, find it somewhere else." Eric growled, flashing forward with his hands outstretched like he was going to grab her but she had been ready and appeared in the space behind Godric and I. I found myself being shoved off to the side to be out of her line of vision while Eric flashed forward again. "I'm going to kill you."

"Hmm, I think you won't." She taunted, shooting him an infuriating grin as she stuck her hands in her pockets and practically danced in circles across the pavement. "You haven't done anything yet..."

"Leave Carina, leave and I will not be forced to kill you myself." Godric surprised us all when he said this, barely taking a step forward towards Eric and Carina looking as calm and as composed as he always did. But there was a fire in his eyes as he faced down his first progeny. "Leave Shreveport and this state and I will forget that you ever existed."

"Oh well, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you do that for the past 1000 years?" Carina narrowed her eyes, her anger flickering inside her head like a fire that had been simmering in the back for a very long time. She glared at Godric. "So forgive me for not wanting to take you up on your offer. I would much rather stick around and ruin a few more things for you just so you understand why I hate you so much..."

"I do know why you hate me and I do understand. You have every right to feel this anger." Godric was trying the more mild approach, trying to appeal to any shred of humanity left in her which I didn't think there was any. But this was the first vampire he had created, he was always going to have a soft spot for her despite their history. "But there may be hope for you still if you just leave now. Go on the run and we will say that you met the true death. No one has to die here and you can learn to have a heart."

"Have a heart huh? Ok, I think that sounds just darling." She hissed, her expression never changing before she disappeared from the spot. She didn't go very far and the sound of a scream pulled all our gazed over to the line of humans where she had plucked a young male out from the group and dragged him out to the middle of the pavement as easily as if he had been a rag doll. He was young, not much younger then me and he was scared, his fear rolling through his head like waves. Carina was practically hidden behind his tall form but I definitely saw her arm when she suddenly shoved it through his back and it came out on the other side in a gush of blood flying everywhere. I could barely hear myself scream over the collective shouts that rose up from the crowd of people who had to bear witness to it.. Carina's laugh rang out above it all as she yanked her arm back out and allowed the boy's body to fall to the pavement while she clutched his heart in her fist, a gleeful smile on her face. I felt my body convulse in horrified shock as she strolled forward and before I could jump back, she tossed the heart right at me, the organ hitting me in the chest and sending splatters of blood all over me as it fell apart at my feet. Carina chuckled and said. "You said have a heart, well there it is..."

She finally disappeared after that, leaving the parking lot amidst a cloud of screams and gasps while I stood there shaking with someone's blood dripping from my arms and hands. Neither Eric or Godric said anything, I think they too were in shock and didn't know how to react to what had just happened. Hell, I didn't even know what to say at this point. What did you say after you just witnessed someone getting their heart ripped out? Was there anything to say? I felt my panic starting to rise just as I felt Eric's hands take my arms.

"Take her to Bon Temps and wait for me at Bill's house. I'll deal with this." Eric told Godric, shoving me into the older vampire's arms roughly before turning to look at the horrific sight not too far away from us. I couldn't even speak as Godric gathered me up in hi arms and shot up up into the air without another word being spoken.

* * *

><p><em><span>In Bon Temps<span>_

"Allison, you need to calm down..."

"Don't Godric, don't you dare tell me to calm down. I just had a human heart thrown at me, there's blood all over and I'm kind of freaking out. So just shut up and let me freak out. Ok?" I snapped at the vampire through the reflection of the mirror above the sink that I was standing in front of and sent him a dark glare before turning my eyes back down to the sink and went about trying to scrub off the blood that was beginning to dry on my skin. I felt my heart was still racing even though we were far away from the carnage that had happened in the parking lot and was in as safe a place as we could be but that did next to nothing to calm me down. I felt jumpy and read to explode out of my own skin just to get even further away from what I had seen. That poor young man having his heart torn out so suddenly by that horrible vampire that Godric had created over a thousand years ago, it was just nauseating and I was surprised that I hadn't thrown up yet. But somehow I had been able to contain myself from the moment Eric had pushed me towards Godric and told him to get me out of there and take me to Bill and Sookie's house over an hour ago. And while Godric had explained what had happened, I could only stand there in frozen shock as I heard those replayed back. And then I had just lost it and stormed into the bathroom in a frantic desperation to get the blood off me. Sookie had given me a green t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans to change into but I couldn't even thank her as I practically took off layers of my own skin just to feel clean. She stood back by the wall while Godric stood closer trying to get me to relax but I ignored them both. It wasn't until I scrubbed too hard at my hands and they started bleeding before I hissed in pain. "Shit!"

"OK, that's enough. You have to stop this before you have a heart attack and you bleed to death." Godric grabbed my hands and turned the water off before grabbing the towel and covering my bleeding knuckles securely and then looking at me. "I know that was not something you should have seen, but you have to calm down..."

"How? How can I calm down? I thought I saw the worst things vampires could do to humans and just when I think it can't get any worse, this happens. So you tell me how I am suppose to just let that go.." I breathed heavily through my nose, feeling my hands shaking inside his palms as I kept seeing Carina's hand ripping through that boy's chest from the back with his heart clutched in her hand. The image made me shudder. "That poor kid, how could she be so...so..."

"I know, I know. It was terrible of her to do and I feel partly responsible because this never would have happened if I hadn't been a fool when I made her. I take blame for what occurred and I'm sorry you had to see it..." Godric pulled me into his arms just then, holding me against his chest while he rubbed soothing circles across my back to calm me. Being this close to Godric opened up the mind connection I now had with all vampires and I could see and feel just how bad he felt about what happened and how he felt like this was on him. Like if he hadn't abandoned Carina then she never would have turned so hostile and angry and it never would have lead her on a quest for revenge. I could understand why he felt like that but I had a feeling she would have turned out this way whether he kept her by his side or not. Some people just turned bad despite the best of intentions. But that didn't make me any less flustered about the situation that had occurred at Fangtasia. Godric pulled back from me and gently pat my cheek. "But I promise you that she won't be doing anything like that again. I will hunt her down and destroy her if I need to."

"Well someone has to before this gets any worse." Sookie pipped up, walking forward to join us and squeezed my hand before saying. "If she keeps this up,then its going to create trouble for Bill and Eric and when Nan finds out that Carina is your progeny, then she will come after you too..."

"Godric is older then Nan, she can't boss him around or intimidate him." I said, feeling a rush of pride that Nan would come up against her own in Godric should it ever happen. Not that Eric or Bill couldn't stand up to her, but Godric did in a way that absolutely demanded respect in a way that even Eric couldn't do. I wasn't afraid of what Nan would do if she knew how he and Carina were connected. "She will get her ass handed to her..."

"I'm pleased that you have so much faith in my abilities to be a frightening figure against someone in authority..." Godric almost laughed at this, which I found to be the very thing to calm me down. "But I do not believe it will come to that..."

"It won't..." Eric's voice came at the doorway so suddenly that both Sookie and I jumped in surprise and I let out a tiny gasp of shock. I hadn't even heard him come in the house nor heard his mind as he came towards the bathroom. But here he was, standing in the room with my cousin and his maker sooner then I had ever thought to see him again after the horror I had witnessed. Godric left my side just as Eric came up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"I just saw someone get their heart ripped out in front of me, I don't get to be ok this soon after it." I told him, wanting to hide my face in my hands so he couldn't see the tears starting to prick at my eyes, but I forced myself to stay composed enough to ask. "What are you doing here? I thought you have to stay at the bar and make a statement to police or something?"

"Pam's taking care of that. I told her what had happened and that she was to relay my words right to the police when they got there. The humans had scattered by the time I was ready to leave and I had her clear out the rest of the bar for the night. I needed to be here with you, the rest of it would have to wait..." He explained to me with an unreadable expression in his eyes but his thoughts spoke inside my head enough to show he had been thinking of me the entire hour we had been apart. It touched my heart that in the middle of that kind of chaos, his thoughts had been with me. I finally felt myself truly starting to calm down, knowing that Eric was at my side would always make me feel safe. "I got here as soon as I could, I couldn't take the chance that Carina might show up here and start trouble."

"She hasn't, it has been quiet since I brought Allison here." Godric spoke up from behind Eric, nodding his head swiftly. "But what now Eric? Are we suppose to wait until Carina shows up again..."

"No, we are going to hunt her down before she can do any more damage. The last thing we need is for any one in authority to get wind of this." Eric looked over his shoulder at Godric and shot him a look that I couldn't figure out. He turned back towards me and cupped my face between his large palms. "I'm promising you here and now that this won't get any worse..."

"Bill Compton! Eric Northman! We need to speak, right now!" Nan's voice came loudly through the hallways right before the front door banged open and her footsteps could be heard storming into the house, causing us all to cringe before she shouted again. "Don't keep me waiting, or else you will be in even more trouble."

"It can't get any worse? Really Eric..." I raised my eyebrows up at him to show how obviously short lived his promises tended to be. Of course Nan would show up just as he said this. How could she not after what happened tonight? I knew it wouldn't have been long until this go through to someone in power. And now the night just had to get a little bit worse, Nan was the last person I wanted to deal with right now. Just thinking about it made me extremely tired. I sighed heavily before I motioned to the doorway. "Let's go before she has a fit."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Do I look stupid?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Eric's tone was mocking, almost gleeful as he stood across the room from Nan in Bill's office with his arms crossed as he leaned back against the wall as if her appearance was nothing to be worried about even though the rest of us were on edge. Whenever Nan showed up, it never meant anything good, she was not the type to stop by unless she had a very dire agenda and the fact that she had shown up so soon after what happened at the bar meant this time it was very serious. I didn't even try to read her mind because I was terrified of what I might hear so I simply stood back between Eric and Godric and tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible while Eric took charge of the conversation. But Nan didn't seem very amused by his anger and all he could do was shrug at her. "You posed a question and I was merely asking if you..."

"Don't be an idiot right now Northman, I am beyond pissed off with you." Nan didn't change her narrow eyed look at all as she glared at the older vampire but right now she was the more formidable looking one. Eric could be scary when he wanted to be, but I knew he would only hurt the ones who posed a threat to the ones he loved. Nan was a threat to anyone, even if they hadn't directly done anything. She looked at things as black and white and not in shades of gray. That was a scary place to be when she was pissed. She turned to look at Bill. "And don't think that you're off the hook either..."

"What's this about then?" Bill looked right back at Nan without the slightest hint of being intimidated even though he was the youngest vamp in the room. But maybe it was the fact that he was King that gave him the courage to speak to her the way he was. "I assume that it has to do with the..."

"The incident at Fangtasia? Yes I am aware of the nightmare that I now have to clean up because of your inability to take care of one vampire. You really messed up William..." Nan said this so sarcastically that I saw Sookie step forward like she was going to throw a punch but Bill held her back, shaking his head that this was not the time for that. The last thing that needed to happen tonight was Sookie trying to pick a fight with Nan, not when trouble seemed to be coming from every corner. Nan glanced between Bill and Eric before saying. "This isn't just about the Carina problem...This is about Russell Edgington."

"What about him?" Eric immediately stood up straight, his eyes flashing with fury and annoyance that he had seemingly been singled out the second Russell's name had been introduced into the conversation. I wanted to reach out for him before he was on the verge of doing something stupid. But he stepped away before I could and faced down Nan. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Don't play dumb Northman, you're not very good at it. I know you never killed Russell like you were suppose to and now it's come back to bite you in the ass. You too Bill." Nan didn't look away from Eric's glaring expression but I could tell that she wanted to turned around and shoot a death glare at Bill as well. But Eric the tougher one to handle at the moment. "I gave you strict orders to finish him off since you begged me to let you deal with it..."

"I didn't beg." Eric snapped, the back of his neck tensing up to the point that I could see even though he wasn't near me anymore. "Russell was part of my history, I wanted to see him ended."

"But that didn't happen did it? Because after tonight, I find out that not only did you not kill him but you also didn't imprison him securely enough. Because someone dug him up and now he is back to his old tricks..." Nan didn't seem at all surprised that this had happened but she was a vampire and they were great at hiding any emotion they wanted. I looked around at the others and saw that they all shared the same expression as I did. That mix of anger and fury combined with fear and anxiety. It was one thing to assume Russell was back but now it was confirmed and it struck a cord of fear in everybody that I could hear and feel. "Not far away from Fangtasia, Russell was spotted ripping out the heart of a human female right in front of a group of humans tonight. And you can imagine my shock when I heard about this, because I was under the assumption that you had done what you said you were going to do..."

"I didn't want him to have peace in death, I wanted to waste away and suffer." Eric didn't regret his decision, I could read that from his thought and our blood bond was flowing freely that I could read his emotions very clearly. "It's not my fault that he was released, I made sure he was secure..."

"Not secure enough apparently because now we have a real mess on our hands." Nan wrinkled her nose in disgust up at Eric, who was the only one who had stepped forward but the way she was looking at him made me think that he needed to be the one to back down. Nan looked beyond the realm of reason. "You two are responsible for him coming back into power and this time I expect you to do your fucking job and make sure he truly meets his end. Or else it will be your end.."

"What?" Sookie exclaimed, her hands slapping over her mouth loudly but Nan ignored her outburst.

"Either you find Russell, and Carina since I know these two crimes are connected, or else I will get the word to end the two of you on the spot. And possibly anyone else who may have distracted you from your duty..." Nan eyed both Sookie and I when she said this, causing both Eric and Bill to hiss at her angrily. But Nan didn't seem bothered by this, her face remained as still and as composed as it had been when she walked in. Nothing would change that, not when she held out fates in her hand. "This is a direct order, you stop Russell and his little side kick from committing more murders or it will be the true death for everyone in this room."

She turned on her heels and left the room and then house without saying anything else to us. She slammed the door shut loudly and it was only until that sound had ended that we all had the guts to finally look around at each other. Sookie looked ready to pass out and Bill looked like he was frozen down to the chair behind his desk. Godric looked guilty and Eric seemed ready to punch a hole in the wall. I didn't know what I was feeling just yet, but I knew it was teetering on unimaginable fear. Eric and I hadn't been involved yet when this whole Russell thing had happened but I knew everything that had happened and the thought of him being out there somewhere and we would have to hunt him down was terrifying.

"I'll fix this..." Godric's voice broke the silence in the room but his statement itself sent a sharp bolt through everyone here and I shot my head towards him and realized that I now knew the reason for why he had looked guilty. "Carina was my progeny and if she hadn't committed this crime tonight then none of this would have been brought into the open. I am certain she is the one behind digging Russell up and because of that, I feel responsible for fixing this."

"You're not doing it alone, it's not just your problem." Eric frowned, coming out of his cloud of anger and looking back at Godric with a shake of his head. "It's all our problem and as powerful as you are, you can't take the two of them on your own..."

"As much as I hate to agree with Eric, he's right. You doing this alone is just going to end in disaster. We have to work together if we are going to end it for good." Bill stated, standing up and walking around the edge of his desk to join Eric and Godric. Sookie and I also walked closer to them, each of us going to the side of our husband before Bill spoke again. "No more screw ups, this time it ends."

"...it ends..."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Allison? Are you alright?" Godric's voice came at me from the doorway of the study where I had been sitting in for almost half an hour since Nan had left and I barely turned my head to acknowledge his presence before I turned back to look through the window to the dark backyard. I had been in a weird mood since Eric and Bill had made definitive plans to go after Russell and Carina and I had slipped away from the group to get a moment alone to gather my thoughts because I had a feeling I wouldn't have a moment to do that for a long time. I heard Godric's footsteps come across the floor and over to the window seat where I was positioned against the wall and he sat down close by me without saying a word. I knew he could feel what I was feeling and was choosing to wait until I said something about it. And I appreciated that because sometimes I just didn't want things pulled out of me before I was ready, and Godric knew me well enough to at least wait until I offered the explanation myself. Until then, he would just make small talk until I began opening up. "You seem a little bit distracted..."

"Yea, I guess I am" I replied heavily, my breath blowing my loose hair out of my eyes and I unfolded my legs where there had been pulled up to my chest and hung them over the edge of the window seat while I leaned back against the window with my hands in my lap. "I just wish I was better at closing my mind off from reality..."

"I think everyone wishes that, even vampires.." Godric offered me a small smile, a testament to show he was trying to lift my mood and while it was sweet of him to try, it didn't do much in the end. And I think he knew that because I saw him set his hands flat across the tops of his knees and say. "You're worrying about what is going to happen with Russell and Carina..."

"Of course I'm worried, this isn't just any enemy Godric. And it's worse then when it was just Carina, but now it's Russell too. I may not have been with Eric when all this was going on, but I know what Russell was like and what he did. So yea, I'm kind of worried." I knew how nasty I sounded and I even cringed at the tone in my voice but I just couldn't help it. I was so tired of all this crap coming at us when we had already been through so much already. I knew I should have been use to it by now since we never had any significant amount of time where things weren't crazy. But couldn't the universe give us like just one year where nothing happened? Couldn't we just get a break already? I just wanted to breathe for once and not worry about what may be waiting for me out in the world. I sighed heavily and turned to look at Godric. "I'm scared Godric."

"I know you are and I'm not going to lie to you and say it will be easy. But it will be ok in the end." He said in that ever calm and composed voice of his that had always comforted me in the past. He reached over and squeezed my hand gently, reminding me of how much I relied on him to be my best friend. "It's hard to believe but we will take care of this."

"I don't doubt that you will. I'm just scared of what could happen to everyone on the way to fixing this. It's not like before, this is Russell we're talking about. He's worse then anything we've faced before. And we've faced plenty of crap in the last few years.." I said bitterly, not needing to recount all the hardships of the past to him but I was thinking about it. The battles with the witches, the problems with the Fellowship of the Sun, my death and resurrection, Godric's resurrection, my birth parents returning to my life, killing Mark, Eric losing his memories and all the secrets and personal problems from everyone close to me coming out into the open to make these obstacles even more difficult. It was not simply straight forward by any means. There were always a million different things that made it more complicated and I was tired of having to fight my way through the maze of it all. I just wanted to live and not have to keep fighting. I ran a hand through my hair with a heavy sigh. "I'm sick of it, sick of the fighting and sick of being scared of something else that may come along. It never seems to end. How many bullets do we have to take before it's too much and we just have to give up?"

"I understand your frustration and I hate to see you so distraught over this. And it's not fair to you or anyone else to have to endure this kind of pain." Godric was trying to be kind but his words did little to alleviate my worry. And he could only say so much before it just became silly. Because even Godric couldn't by pass the reality of the situation. "It's no way to live, but we have no choice except to face it."

"I get that, I really do. But I just want it to stop already." I shook my head and felt my hand tighten under his cold palm. "I feel like we're living our lives always looking over our shoulders for the next problem to rise up. And the next time might be the very thing that takes one of us away."

"That's always in the back of my mind when something like this happens and if it was a possibility to just run away from it then I would do that. But I can't and neither can Eric or Bill..." He told me with a sympathetic smile, taking back his hand to tuck under his arm as he too leaned back against the window. He looked thoughtful for a minute but I didn't try to read his thoughts. That would be intrusive and wrong because I already heard his thoughts more often then I wanted. And if I didn't have to do it then I wouldn't. Godric deserved to have some privacy and in the end, he always shared his thoughts anyway. "Whether we do something or not, we're still sitting ducks either way."

"I know..."

"When we do go up against Russell and Carina, there is always the possibility of someone getting hurt. It will be a fight after all, so injuries are to be expected..." He replied with his hands clasped together and his head tilted in my direction. "And if we do nothing, then Nan will go to any lengths to make sure we all die. So either way, we would have a problem."

"I hate it when you're right.." I grumbled, a reaction that made Godric laugh as I turned myself sideways with my back to the wall and my legs pulled up close to me again like before. I knew in my heart that we had no choice but to fight back, but the idea of having to face down with a 3,000 year old vampire with a grudge and a 1000 year old female vampire with serious anger issues, was just not something I was prepared for. This was different from all the other times we had to fight, so much more different. "I know we need to do this, but it doesn't make me feel any less scared."

"Of course you're scared, it's a scary situation. But it will be alright..." Godric seemed confident and not just be the way he sounded but also by the way he felt. His assurance came through loud and clear and I knew he believed what he was telling me. But I just wasn't sure I did. He smiled again. "It's going to be ok. It always is."

"I'm not so sure it will be this time..." I told him, laying my chin on my knees as I looked out the window while thinking that whatever was coming could be the worse thing we ever face.

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later<span>_

"Hey, let's head home before Bill really starts to get on my nerves..." Eric's voice preceded him before he even stepped foot into the room and still both Godric and I turned to look at the doorway, waiting for him to appear. And when he did, he had his hands in his pockets and a glum look on his face that showed just how irritated he was by the night's events. And yet, I still smiled at seeing my husband, feeling the same flutter to my heart that I always did when he walked into a room. Even after how horrible the night had been, just seeing him was enough to pick up my mood again. Godric grinned at me, obviously seeing the change Eric's arrival had done to me and he stood up from the window seat before offering me his hand to pull me to my feet. I took it willingly and unfolded my legs so I too could stand up just as Eric towered over me. "So...did I interrupt anything good?"

"You're always interrupting something my son.." Godric replied almost teasingly as he smiled up at Eric in a very paternal sort of way which I always found interesting since Godric looked so much younger then Eric. But Eric never once looked or talked to Godric as if he were something below him. Despite their constant head butting over various things, they loved each other and would do anything for each other. And I felt so lucky to have the two of them. "And no, you weren't interrupting anything. We were already done talking."

"Why do you two always have to have the heart to heart talks and she will only have sex with me?" Eric asked with a fake serious smirk that he shot towards me, his mood obviously picking up from where it had been before when he walked in. "Maybe I want to talk as well."

"You never want to talk..." I shook my head, unable to suppress the smile on my lips as I wrapped my arms around his midsection and pulled him closer to me. "You are only ever interested in getting in my pants my very horny husband."

"You forgot that I'm also interested in drinking your blood, my darling wife." Eric had a very playful look in his eyes, a look that said he was thinking very bad thoughts even though this night had been anything but worthy of earning those thoughts. But seeing him act like his normal self in face of looming danger was great, it made me believe that we would all come out of this standing tall. "Ah, there is that smile I love so much."

"You two are definitely made for each other, no one else could tolerate each others personalities the way you do..." Godric rolled his eyes as he looked over us with an approving look. He had always expressed his happiness at our pairing like a normal father would over his son's choice in a wife. He thought I was good for Eric and was able to keep him in line even when Godric couldn't. I would do anything for Eric, anything to make him happy, keep him safe and Godric knew that. So when he looked at the two of us and said we were meant to be together, that meant a lot. He nodded towards the door. "I suppose it's time to leave and make plans for..."

"You guys better come quick..." Sookie came stumbling into the room looking frantic and scared with her hair flying everywhere. I had been so focused on Eric and Godric for the past hour that I hadn't been paying attention to what was going on in the rest of the house. But now the only thing I could see was her anxiety ridden face. She motioned behind her to the hallway. "We have company, bad company."

"Sookie, what are you..." I never got a chance to finish my sentence when I was cut off by a voice that I had never heard before but could accurately guess who it belonged to.

"Oh Mr. Northman, I do hope you realize that I don't like to be kept waiting..." It was Russell Edgington, I could tell by the sudden look of fury on Eric's face the moment that voice yelled through the house. Eric's arms dropped away from me and both he and Godric shot out of the room and left me standing there alone as they had shoved Sookie off the side. She reappeared in the doorway holding her arm and together we ran towards the front of the house where the double doors were flung open and the doorway was crowded with the forms of Eric, Godric and Bill. Sookie and I had to squeeze ourselves on the outer edge of the group just to see what was going on and it was nothing like what I expected to see. It wasn't just Russell standing in the middle of the front yard with Carina by his side wearing a similar devious smirk, it was also the crowd of 10 vampires that stood in a half circle just a few feet behind them that made me gasp. I saw Russell's eyes flicker towards me and there just the slightest up swing to his lips. But his eyes were clearly marked for Eric. "Long time no see, I was just beginning to miss you. Thought it was time for a reunion between us."

"You would think that you psychotic piece of shit." Eric growled, his hands already curling tightly into closed fists and he was making a move to step forward onto the porch when Godric grabbed his hand and held him back. Eric shot a look towards his maker and demanded. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What the hell are you doing? There is a group of vampires out there that outnumber us and if we step outside the safety of this house then we are as good as dead." Godric snapped, his calm demeanor disappearing in the wake of what was now happening and he looked just as deadly as Eric was right now. "They can't come in here and as long as we stay inside and wait them out, then we are..."

"You know Eric, this all could have been avoided in the first place if you hadn't lied all the time and you just gave me the damn Faerie like I wanted." Russell turned his gaze on Sookie, to which Bill reacted with the same growl as Eric had as he pushed his wife behind him. Russell laughed, elbowing Carina so she would follow suit before he strolled forward, his eyes now back on me. "But it looks there is a more delicious specimen I might be interested in."

"I should have killed you when I had the chance.." Eric snapped, his eyes flaring up dangerously before he did something that not even Godric could stop him from doing. Eric was out the door and down to the yard before anyone else could say or do anything. Even I was too frozen to do anything more then scream.

"Eric no!"


	5. Not coming home

**Chapter 5 Not coming home**

"Eric, stop!" I cringed at how desperate my voice sounded and I was even crazy enough to step out onto the porch to go after Eric myself despite the presence of Russell and Carina and their small army of vampires in the yard. None of that made a lick of sense to me, all that I could think about was him being hurt, being killed. I had to save him, it didn't matter if he was a vampire. He needed saving. I tried to go after him but I felt a hand pulling me back and I immediately pushed it off me but it only came back again. It took me a second to realize the touch was cold and when I looked over my shoulder and saw those kind looking eyes, I had no choice but to beg. "Godric, let me go."

"I can't do that. If you go out there, they will hurt you and Eric will never forgive me if anything happens to you." Godric shook his head, his hands holding tightly to my upper arms as we stood just inside the doorway and stared out into the yard. Eric was standing just feet away from Russell, who was simply standing there without moving, as if he were waiting for Eric to be the one to make the move first. Godric's thoughts were running too fast for me to interpret. His heavy exhale blew my hair off my neck. "I have to do something...anything..."

"Well Mr. Northman, are we going to play or not?" Russell's disgustingly cheerful voice finally spoke again, pulling all our eyes to the oldest vampire in the vicinity as he began to eye Eric curiously with his hands behind his back. "I do believe I told you I am not a patient man."

"And I think I said I was going to kill you." Eric growled, his eyes flashing with anger which I could just catch a glimpse of before he shot towards Russell and grabbed the older vampire. I felt my heart leap into my chest and I was frozen to the spot as Godric's hands fell away from me and I could only watch in horror as Eric was thrown back with a single jab of a hand from Russell, sending my husband flying to the ground and dirt and grass flew everywhere. I slapped my hand over my mouth, hating when Russell's lips turned to a smirk as he watched Eric get back to his feet with a frown. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Eric, shut up." I yelled out before I could stop myself. I saw Carina's eyes shoot towards me and narrow into slits like she was debating on whether or not to charge at me. But I couldn't even think about that right now. All I could see and hear was what was going on between Eric and Russell. "You're making it worse."

"I would listen to your wife, she seems to have a better idea of being respectful then you do..." Russell's face turned to me and I saw him nod slightly like my call to my husband had been of amusement to him. I kept myself from reading his thoughts, there was no way I would want to be in the mind of someone that evil. "Now I apologize Mrs. Northman, for what I'm going to have to do to your husband. I hope I will have your forgiveness someday..."

"Eat shit." Eric struck forward again but instead of reaching Russell like he had before, he was grabbed by the arms by two of Russell's servants, held on tightly and forced down onto his knees before any of us could react. And despite his predicament, Eric still looked beyond pissed off. "You're really going to regret that."

Things happened so fast right after that that I could hardly see them happening and I wished I couldn't see because what occurred next was horrible. The minute after Eric had been grabbed by those vampires, Godric and Bill had shot out of the house towards him, leaving Sookie and I to linger in the doorway to watch in horror at how quickly Russell had been prepared for this onslaught. Bill and Godric were immediately surrounded by the remaining vampires, who set guns on their chest with red laser that I was certain had wooden bullets ready to be fired. This action stopped both of them from moving any further and I cursed Bill for giving his security the night off. Oh this was bad, so bad. But the look on Carina's face showed nothing short of pure joy, like she had dreamed of this happening exactly this way. She looked between the scene happening with Eric and Russell and then to Godric and Bill being held at gun point and she seemed to be contemplating which to go to first. Russell also did the same but he never moved from hiss spot in front of Eric, he only just shook his head.

"I told you once before not to get on my bad side, but you didn't listen. And now, I am going to have to teach all of you a lesson..." Russell's voice was as even as anything but what he did was something that made me gasp out loud. He reached into his coat pocket and out came his hand and clutched in his hand was a long stake, intending to be plunged into Eric's chest. A horrifying image that I couldn't help but see play out in his head. "Good bye Mr. Northman.."

"Wait! Stop, I'll make a deal with you but please don't kill him." I couldn't stop myself from blurting this out, my heart racing as I pulled away from my cousin and practically threw myself down the porch steps to the yard and passed the spot where Godric and Bill were trying to wave me back from and looked across the grass to Russell and tried not to shudder. I didn't care that what I was doing was stupid, I didn't care that it was reckless or crazy. All I could think about was Eric and that stake being stabbed through his chest and him being gone forever. I couldn't let that happen, I had to do something and even my Fae powers weren't enough to fight back against Russell and his entire group of vampires. But I did have one very crazy idea that even I couldn't believe I was about to put on the table. I felt my hands shaking so much that I had to curl them into fists just to stay calm even though my voice shook violently. "Let him go and...and... I'll make the ultimate sacrifice that can be made for someone like me..."

"Hmm, I'm intrigued right now and that doesn't happen very often. And that just may work in your favor..." Russell didn't let go of the stake but he did straighten up and stepped back to turn towards me. I could faintly hear Godric and Bill yelling at me in the background but their voices sounded so far away, like they were part of a life that I didn't know anymore and when I said what I had to say, then that would be true. Russell glanced at Eric again and smirked. "Alright Allison, I'm willing to hear out this deal of yours. But I doubt it will be of any interest..."

"I'll give myself to you willingly and I will stay with you for as long as you want me. You know what I am, you know I am a full blooded Fae. My blood is the most intoxicating of all and if you take this deal, then you will always be able to feed on me." I knew as soon as those words left my mouth that it was as good as over, only because I couldn't tell which way he would go. He may just be interested in killing everyone and everything around him, why else would he have brought so many vampires to protect himself. But then again, he was an old vampire and here I was offering him the most delicious blood he could ever hope to find. That had to have been an interest to him, I could see it in his eyes when he turned to look at me. I knew I had him, I knew I had to keep going if I had any hope to save Eric. "If you let him go and never go after any of my loved ones, then I will be yours. Now and forever. I will do what you say as long as you don't hurt them..."

"No! You can't possibly consider taking her up on that." Carina snapped, turning away from Godric and looking at me like she wanted to rip my throat out for saying what I had just said. She looked at Russell almost pleadingly. "You promised I would get my vengeance..."

"Shut up, I'm...thinking it over.." Russell stood back and studied me, his fingers tapping his chin thoughtfully like I was offering him something simple and not my entire life. He didn't look particularly scary in this moment but I knew better then to trust that. I knew that just behind that composed demeanor lied the personality of a psycho. He twirled the stake between his fingers before saying. "My my, you sure know how to strike a deal..."

"No I won't let you do this, I won't let you give up your life for me." Eric yelled at me, his voice sounding both angry and full of love. But mostly angry as he remained down on his eyes while his head shook frantically at me to take it back. But I couldn't, it was the only thing that could possibly save him and everyone else here. And I think he knew that, only that realization could have made him turn back to Russell and yell. "Kill me, go ahead and do it!"

"No, I don't think so. Your wife has spoken to something that pleases me more then staking you..." Russell laughed, his head cocking to the side as he pressed his lips together in thought again. He liked the idea of having a constant supply of Fae blood at his disposal. I could practically see it playing out in his eyes like a movie. He was swayed by my words, that was obvious by the way he looked back at Eric with a shake of his head before looking back at me, the stake going back in his coat pocket. "Alright, I accept the deal."

"No!" Everyone that I loved in that yard yelled this out at the same time, their voices breaking my heart collectively as they went through me like a harsh wind that chilled me right down to the bone and I knew nothing would ever be ok again. I knew that when I felt a gust of wind blow my hair back and found Russell standing before me with a grin before he grabbed me.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." I whispered out loud, my voice sounding loud to my own ears as Russell's hands tightened on my arms while his face came close to my neck and sniff at my skin. I could hear the want and desire in his head for my blood and I was only a little amazed that he didn't immediately bite me right then and there. I looked at Godric and Bill who were yelling at me but I couldn't hear them, I think that what I had done shocked even me and I wasn't as aware of my surroundings as I should have been. But why should I? My life was as good as over the moment I had offered myself to Russell, nothing else mattered. I felt Russell grasping at my hand and I realized he was pulling my wedding ring off and throwing it in the grass. I tried to struggle but of course he was too strong and I saw the ring glittering in the dirt for a second before I looked up and caught Eric's gaze. This would be the last time I ever saw him and all I could think to say was what the three words I had hoped to say for the rest of our lives but couldn't anymore. "I love you."

I saw Eric moving his lips but I couldn't hear what he was saying because Russell grabbed a hold of me again and shot us both up into the air, carrying me away from everything I knew and towards something that I had no idea about. But Eric was safe and everyone would remain alive, everyone that I loved. And because of that, I would never regret what I had done.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Get in there and shut up." Carina shoved me with both hands, so hard that I nearly fell flat on my face inside the doorway of the small house set back from the road that they had brought me to. I managed to stay upright and whirled around just in time to see Carina slam the door shut with her foot before sending a nod at the old woman she had glamored into letting us into the house and the woman simply turned around and left the room with her eyes in a daze as if she were sleepwalking. I almost wanted to call her back just for the simple fact that I wouldn't be alone with Carina and Russell. Being between that much crazy was terrifying and I could feel it starting to take a hold of me for the first time since I had offered myself to Russell. Maybe I just didn't have time to feel the panic because everything had happened so fast, but now that I was away from the house and in a stranger's home where no one could help me without being invited in, I really and truly felt the fear start to set in. Carina rolled her eyes as she pushed me towards the living room. "Will you shut up already? You're getting on my nerves."

"You try calming down when you're surrounded by a bunch of psychotics." I snapped fiercely even though it would have been smarter to not say anything at all. But I tended not to do the smart thing when I was really freaking out, in addition to practically hyperventilating which I could feel myself starting to do. My nerves were frazzled and my heart was racing, I felt like it was a battle just to breathe properly. The sound of it was loud even to my own ears let alone to the vampires. "I...I can't help it if I …."

"Jesus Christ, shut the fuck up!" Carina's eyes flared up with fire as her hands shot out and grabbed a hold of me before I could gasp and I felt myself being thrown towards the ground, the room spinning as I hit the floor with the air going right out of me. It took me a second before I could breathe normally again and when I was finally looking upward, Carina had her hand raised threateningly. "If you don't stay quiet, then I swear I will punch you into silence."

"Do not lay a hand on her or that will be the last time you use it." Russell suddenly appeared in front of Carina so fast that it made both her and I jump in surprised. Russell's face had gone from gleeful to stormy in a matter of seconds and I could see his hands twitching like he would like nothing more then to reach up and twist her head off. He narrowed his eyes and smacked his lips together, his accent heavy as he warned her. "I do not want her injured, because if she is hurt then she will require blood to heal and I do not want her blood dilluted at all."

"But you said that once we got an advantage then I could have some fun. And slapping her around a little bit, is fun for me..." Carina was pissed, her face didn't just say but also her thoughts and her body language. If I wasn't already afraid of her, then I certainly would be now. Russell may have been thousands of years older then her but she looked at him like she was right on his level. I could never look at anyone like that, like I was fearless. But she was not scared of him, she was angry. "You promised me I would..."

"You will get your turn to satisfy your thirst for revenge, but you will not do it at the expense of my Faerie..." Russell sent a sly grin my way that made my stomach turn. I had never been anyone's other then Eric's and now I belonged to Russell. If anything could make me sick, it was that. "But enough of that, the witch is waiting out..."

"Witch? What witch?" I couldn't stop myself asking, wrapping my arms tightly around my shaking form and stepping back as far as I could. Now there was a witch waiting outside for me? What else had to be thrown at me in one night? My back hit the wall before I was able to speak again. "What's going on?"

"You didn't honestly think we were just going to take you away and that would be the end of it, because it wouldn't be. Eric and Godric are foolish enough to track you down and try and rescue you away from me. And that's where the witch comes in..." Russell's lips curled up and he didn't even have to say what he meant for me to realize it and I felt my stomach immediately turn over again and stay that way. I knew what he was getting at, of course Eric and Godric would try to save me and as long as I had connections to them, then they would always be able to find me. So I knew what point Russell was going to stop at and it killed me because I knew without a doubt that it was the end of any hope I had of surviving this the way I had wanted. Russell chuckled. "The witch is going to break your blood bonds to Eric and Godric..."

I could just feel my eyes well up with tears as Carina turned to go and get the witch and if there was any way to feel even worse, then seeing that witch walk through the door did it...

_30 minutes later_

"Will you calm down already? It's not that big a deal." Carina's eyes narrowed into deadly slits as the blood dripped down her chin while she gripped the body of the witch in between her pale hands, the woman's body hanging limp and lifeless. Lifeless because she was now dead. Her neck had been snapped by Russell the second after the bond breaking ritual had been completed and instead of draining her himself, he tossed her over to Carina and then forced me to watch as she drank from the poor woman's neck as viciously as a lion attacked a zebra. I tried closing my eyes but the image was just as horrific behind my lids as it was in person and the tears rolled down my face faster then they had at any point during the course of this night. Carina threw the body down to the floor and grabbed my chin so I would be forced to look at her when she licked the blood off her lips. "That was tasty."

"You're disgusting and evil. And I hate your fucking guts." I wanted to hit her, even though the act would only cause me pain, but that didn't stop me from wanting to do it. I was driven by emotion, my fear was fueling my need to lash out but I had to keep reigning myself in because who knew what would happen if I did try to retaliate. Sure Russell told her not to harm me, but vampires weren't known for their sound temperament, she might kill me simply because she could. I glared at her. "You're a bitch."

"She's feisty, I'll give her that. It will make this all the more fun." Russell's fingers gripped my arms tightly all of a sudden and I felt my heart stop. That didn't sound good.

"What are you talking about?" My lower lip was shaking well before I even got the words out, but once I had spoken it got even worse. Because I knew the inevitable was about to happen, something that couldn't happen while I was still bonded to Eric and Godric. Because the moment it happened, they would have been here to save me. But the bonds were broken and now anything could happen. I felt Russell's hands on my shoulders and I shuddered.

"...now I can enjoy the first drink.." He said quietly into my ear before that oh so familiar sound of fangs coming out filled the air right before he sank them into my neck.

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

"You know...you really annoy me. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you would be the one to ruin everything..."

"Excuse me? I didn't ruin anything. I did what I had to do to save the man I love, I hardly count that as ruining anything." I replied from my spot in the corner where I had been thrown into the moment I had been finished being fed on by Russell and looked up from the floor where I had been staring at and stared at Carina who was pacing back and forth in front of me with a disgruntled look on her face. This had been the first time she had spoken to me since she had wanted to hit me before she glamored the old woman who owned the house into letting us in so the breaking of the blood bonds could be done without interruption and even when Russell had left the house to go take care of something,she still hadn't said anything. Not that I minded, because I didn't really care to hear her voice and I kind of just wanted to retreat into my own head. But now I couldn't because she just had to start something. My world had essentially ended tonight and she had to be giving me a hard time. But I guess I couldn't have expected anything less then that, I had seen what she had done and she wouldn't care that I was at my lowest point. I followed her with my eyes and I pushed myself up to my feet against the wall. "Haven't you ever done anything like that?"

"No. Because thanks to Godric, I was too consumed with anger and betrayal to appreciate what the world could offer me. And I certainly knew nothing about love. How could I? When the one person who was suppose to love me forever abandoned me so soon after my turning..." Carina's eyes never strayed from my face as she continued moving. It was like she was waiting for me to move forward so she could push me back to satisfy her need for violence. But I would not give in to her whims, no matter how much she wanted it. "How can you possibly stand by him after knowing what he did?"

"Because I know he is a good person and I know he feels bad about what he did. He knows he has made mistakes in the past but he has changed and that's all that matters. Me sacrificing my freedom wasn't just for Eric, it was for Godric too..." I would defend my decision to the grave if need be because as horrible as it was going to be to endure and as tough as my life would be from now on, I would never regret doing what I did to save the people I loved, including Godric. He was my best friend and yes we had had our problems, but I knew he was good at heart. And if Carina had any shred of humanity left in her, then she had to see that. "Despite what you may think, he doesn't deserve anything you throw at him."

"Oh but he does, you're just too naive to want to believe it." She smirked at me as if I was nothing more then a little girl who believed there was good in everyone. Maybe at one point I had believed that, but I saw evil far too many times to keep believing in it. She shook her head at me. "He does deserve what he gets, that is if Russell will give me some leverage to play with.."

"Please don't hurt him, I'm begging you not to." I felt my lower lip quivering as I spoke, making my words wobble to the point of almost being incoherent. But listening to her speak about wanting to hurt Godric with absolutely no remorse just broke my heart even further. How could someone be that filled with evil and hatred? I didn't understand. I looked at her hesitantly. "I know what he did, I know he hurt you but can't..."

"Hurt me? He took my life from me. I was human when I was turned ok? I wasn't a Faerie or a shifter or a werewolf, I was freaking human. And he stole my humanity from me. Then he didn't even have the decency to guide me through my new life, he just let me go to wander alone. Does that sound like the Godric you know?" She rushed up to me, stopping just short of running into me and just stood there as close as she could get without touching me. She was angry, boiling and unhinged anger was coursing through her veins right now as well as her mind. I tried not to listen to it but I got glimpses of her and Godric from what had to be the time right after he had turned her. I couldn't hear anything but I saw her on her knees, blood rolling down her pale face as it looked like she was begging him at his feet not to leave. It almost made me cry, because she didn't look evil back then like she did now. She just looked like a terrified little girl who didn't want to be alone. But he did leave her alone. He muttered the words which must have been the release because a second later he was gone and she was alone. When her thoughts ended, Carina frowned down at me like she had intended for this to be seen. "You see? He was horrible. So do not preach to me about what a good person Godric is. He is not a good person and if you continue to say differently, then I will kill you right here on the spot."

"You've been targeting me since you first showed up, I could tell by the way you looked at me. You always meant to get me alone to try and scare me..." I was scared, more scared then I had been in a long time. And mostly because I had a sense that Carina wasn't just angry at Godric and Eric, she had anger towards me as well. She may have stated that she wanted revenge against them, but it was for me too. "Why are you doing this? Why are you against me? I've done nothing to you."

"Actually you did do something to me. You got Godric to love you like a daughter, the way he should have loved me. You got his love and devotion when it should have been for me. You had him the way I needed him. But he chose to be there for you and Eric, but not for me." Her face was unreadable at the moment, but there was something in her words that made me see behind the mask of insanity to something more pure underneath. It wasn't that I thought she was good by any means, especially not after what she had done. But maybe at some point she was in the right to be this angry. Her life had changed suddenly and she had needed someone to be there and there hadn't been. So in a way, I guess I understood her. But she didn't want my understanding. She just wanted to hurt everything around her "So yea, you did do something to me and that's why I'm doing this. It's personal for me..."

"Enough of this pleasant conversation Carina. We have places to be." Russell appeared in the doorway of the room with his hands on the frame and his head cocked to the side like we were old friends. I didn't know what he had been up to why he had been gone and I had no desire to ask. The less I knew, the better. I would rather live that way then hear about any possible horrors he may have caused. He motioned towards me with one hand and an expression of something akin to boredom. "Come, we need to get far away from here. Grab the girl."

Carina grabbed me roughly away from the wall and shoved me towards Russell, her hand pushing at me from behind harshly and caused me to stumble over my own feet. I didn't fall but I never lifted my head either, I kept my eyes trailed to the floor as I moved. I barely reached the doorway before Russell himself grabbed me and I found myself flying through the air for the second time that night and I knew it wouldn't be the last.

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"...Now get the hell in there until it's time to play with you again.." Russell stated darkly as he finished dragging me down a short flight of stairs before tossing me down to the hard cold floor of what had to be a basement before I heard his laugh ring out above me as he went back up to the door. "Until tomorrow night..."

I couldn't even manage to snap back at him, I was too tired and too drained to care what was said or done to me. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and not have to stay strong or keep myself together. I just wanted to let my walls down and feel the full brunt of my loneliness. I laid there on the cement floor on my back just staring up at the ceiling that I could barely make out because of the dim lighting and I felt nothing but utterly alone. I hadn't allowed it to catch up with me this whole night because I was too focused on what was to come that I didn't let myself feel what I was suppose to be feeling at the moment. But now here it all was, crashing into me like the waves of the ocean during a hurricane. Angry, ferocious waves that made me feel even more unstable then I already did. I rolled over to my side and got to my knees, my head was spinning slightly as I touched my hand to my neck where my fingers just brushed over the fang marks and I winced. Damn Russell for being so enamored by the taste of my blood that he had to feed on me twice more before he had his fill. The loss of blood had left me dizzy and shaky and slightly nauseous. My head ached like the worse migraine I had ever had and I pressed my hands on either side of my temples just to try and lessen the pain. I had never felt worse then I did right now. Ok that wasn't true, I had been in a lot worse of a state that I was presently. But this time was different, this time there was no turning back because nothing was going to come to my rescue. Eric couldn't save me, Godric couldn't save me. I was at the mercy of Russell Edgington and that wasn't really at the mercy of anyone. I was alone in this. I had nothing and no one.

I heard a sound from the other side of the room that made me freeze in place as I searched the darkness for what I was sure had been a footstep. I couldn't believe I hadn't been aware of another presence in the room when Russell threw me down here but I suppose I had been so lacking focus that nothing would have gotten through to me until I was truly alone. Or at least until I thought I was. I backed up against the wall, my hands shaking as I tried to stay calm but I could tell that who ever this was was big, and judging by the redness around the thoughts, it was a werewolf. I was trapped down here with a werewolf, my back hit the wall hard as soon as this realization dawned on me and if possible, I felt even more fear then I had before. The footsteps continued coming forward and I could see the outline of the figure in the dim light but I couldn't see his face. I didn't know if he could see mine but he still moved closer. I didn't think Russell was willing to let me be harmed in any way but then he stuck me down here with a werewolf who would no doubt try to have something to do with hurting me. I had my hands out in front of me, ready to defend myself if it came to that. But once the Were stepped into the barely there light, my hands dropped immediately.

"Alcide?" My eyes got painfully wide just trying to take all of him in just so I could assure myself that he wasn't some kind of hallucination from the stress of the night. But it was him, alive as he had been the last time I saw him weeks ago. I was sure he had been one of Carina's victims that I couldn't even hope that he was still alive. But he was, standing in front of me looking a little beat up and bruised and worse for wear and yet wonderfully alive. "Oh my god I thought you were dead."

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded, a deep set frown on his face as he looked me over like he was certain that I had been taken like he must have been. When he found the fang marks, his expression got even darker and his eyes jumped to mine. "Allison..."

"I...I..." My mind went blank right then and there and all I could do was just stand in one place as my eyes suddenly swam with tears and my heart swelled up with an emotion I had pushed aside for hours now. It was only in this moment that I truly felt the complete unraveling of myself. I felt my shoulders shake and before I could stop myself, I moved forward and wrapped my arms around Alcide's waist. I knew I shouldn't have, I knew it was wrong but I just couldn't help it. I was so certain that I was going to be alone in all this and even though I should have been hoping that Alcide was safe at home with his family, I was so thrilled that he was here. At least I wasn't alone. "I was stupid, so stupid..."

"Ok, ok. Calm down. You don't have to tell me..." Alcide's voice rumbled deep inside his chest as he too embraced me, his arms pulling me close even as he grunted. He must have been hurt but he didn't lessen his grip and in a way I was grateful for that. I needed comfort right now, even though I wished more then anything that it could be Eric with me right now. But at least Eric was safe, that thought alone could comfort me and never make me regret this extremely stupid thing I did. Alcide squeezed me gently and said. "This stupid thing you did...did it involve Eric?"

"Yes." I felt a new batch of tears pour down my eyes at the thought of my husband, wanting him in front of me more then anything. It had only been a few hours and already I felt dead inside and empty now that our bonds were gone. I nodded my head against Alcide's chest. "..I had to do it, I had to. I had no choice."


	6. Silence worth breaking

**Chapter 6 Silence worth breaking**

"Wait...say that again and speak slowly this time. The events of tonight must have dimmed my intelligence..."

As I stopped talking, I stared up at Alcide in shock, just short of having my jaw fall open wide at what he had just finished telling me about. The minute after I had managed to collect myself and wipe away the tears that had dampened my cheeks, I pulled away from Alcide and somehow managed to demand that he tell me what happened to him to cause him to end up here. He looked like he wanted to be stubborn and ask me first what I had done and in fact, his thoughts revealed just that. But he decided against pushing me for the moment and instead launched into his own tale and I found my hand coming up to cover my mouth in pure shock as I listened to him speak. Granted it wasn't nearly as bad as when I had worried that he had been one of the victims like on television, but it was still pretty jolting for someone as strong as Alcide to be captured and imprisoned like this. I didn't say a word the whole time he told me about the events leading up to his kidnapping and his explanation seemed to seep right out of my head as quickly as it entered, leaving me feeling wobbly and confused. Not that I could blame myself, I had my own personal issues to deal with at the moment,knowing I was never going to go home to my husband and family was wrecking havoc all through out my body. But still, I should have been able to retain some of my mental capabilities. I could tell that Alcide wanted to laugh at my request, his lips briefly twitched at the corner in a silent chuckle despite the bruising on his face but he never let it escape. He retained it, but not by much.

"Do you ever listen when I speak?" He was amused despite the predicament we were in and the way he was looking at me, you would think we were just two friends catching up in a restaurant, not two friends who were now prisoners together for god only knows how long. But the moment passed by quickly and his features clouded over with anger and extreme frustration. He ran a single hand through his dark hair before sighing and leaning against the wall, his eyes trailed on the darkness on the other side of the room. "It came out of nowhere, I was suppose to be paying attention and I know I should have been more alert. I am normally so freaking on point, but that night I wasn't..."

"Why not?" I came around to his right side and propped myself up on the wall just as he had done and crossed my arms, trying to shake the fuzziness out of my head. Russell feeding on me was still fresh and the after effects were very apparent. I cocked my head to the side so I could look at his face. "I've never seen you lose focus at any time in the time I have known you. So why weren't you paying attention a few nights ago?"

"Because I was thinking of you..." His trailed off bit by bit until he was silent again. His mind was quiet too and judging by the expression on his face, it was clear that he wasn't sure how I would react to his confession. To be honest, I wasn't how I felt about it. I knew very well how Alcide felt about me and I shouldn't have been surprised that even after our talk a few weeks ago, he was still thinking of me. But to hear it out loud was a little much after tonight. He seemed to realize that and just shook his head. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that."

"No it's ok, I was the one who asked..." I waved my hand to say it was fine, but already I felt like I was on edge. I didn't want to think about it right now, or ever. I didn't need that. I focused my eyes on his face again. "Ok, go on..."

"I was walking to my truck, my mind was occupied when I finally picked up on the feeling that I was being watched. I looked around, but I didn't see anything. But my senses weren't lying. I knew the shit was about to hit the fan and I thought I was ready..." Alcide's face darkened even more as he recalled the memory and even though I was hearing it again for the second time, it still sent a dagger through my chest to know someone I had considered a friend had been stalked like this. Alcide pressed his lips together before finishing. "But she came out of nowhere, I knew it was a vamp but she was on me before I could properly prepare to defend myself..."

"It must have been Carina, she's working with Russell. That bitch..." I said the last part with a growl, my hatred for Godric's first progeny intensifying despite my earlier fear of her. It was one thing to threaten me or even hurt me. But for her to go after my friend, well that just made me even angrier. I blew out a gust of air before saying. "So what happened after that?"

"She knocked me out and when I woke up, I was in this basement. I've been here since that night. Occasionally her and Russell like to come down and rough me up for fun, as you can tell..." He motioned to his bruised face and judging by the way he moved, I could tell his ribs were in pain but he was a Were, so hopefully that would heal soon enough. Still, I hated to see him in pain if only for a little while. He must have picked up on that because he smiled suddenly. "No worries, I'm still in one piece. I can deal with this shitty situation, but seeing you here is the worse part..."

"You have no idea how bad it is..." I sighed before launching into a full out re-telling of the events that had lead to me making a sacrifice for Eric's life. I explained to him about Carina's connection to Eric and Godric and how she had reemerged to cause trouble and we just never realized how much. I told him about how Eric and Bill confessed to never killing Russell like we all thought and how he was most likely aligned with Carina. I shuddered as I delivered detail after detail of Russell and Carina showing up with guards at the house and threatening to kill Eric before I jumped in to barter for his life. Alcide's eyes narrowed when I said I offered myself in exchange to keep Eric and Godric safe and I knew he was not happy about me being that reckless. But I did warn him just minutes ago that I had been stupid. After I told him about Russell whisking me away to magically break my bonds to Eric and Godric and feed on me and then my brief exchange with Carina before coming here, I fell silent and just waited for his reaction. He didn't say anything and neither did his mind, so I just stood there and waited. He had pushed himself off the wall by now and was towering over me with his hands clenched into his fists at his sides, looking like he was on the verge on hitting something. I knew he would never lay a hand on me, but I still took a step back before I spoke again. "Alcide, say something...please?"

"How...could you be so damn foolish?" He spat out each word as if it were coated in something sour and he needed it out of his mouth before it drove him insane. I took another step back as I watched his gaze focus on my face and even more so on the fang marks on my neck and that only seemed to piss him off further. He took a step up to me. "You are so incredibly stupid for doing that. How could you throw your life away like that? And for a vampire?"

"That vampire is my husband, I had to do something." I felt my forehead wrinkle in shock that he had so blatantly spoken to me like that. I knew Alcide hated vampires and Eric in particular, but I never thought his frustration would spill over to me. I actually felt myself flinch at his harshness but I wasn't ready to just let him get away with it. I was going to defend my choice in actions. I stood up straight and tried to look steady even though I felt the opposite. I hit him in the chest with the heel of my hand but I didn't even more him the slightest. "I don't care what you think about what I did because it doesn't matter. I did it and I would do it again and every time after that if it meant Eric wouldn't die."

"You throw yourself into the wind with no regard to how it affects your life, you should have stayed out of it." Alcide looked like he wanted to reach out and grab me by the arms but he held back and just turned his back on me like he didn't want me to see his expression. By the time, he was looking at me again, he was furious beyond anything I had ever seen him before. "You should have let Eric handle it. What is the matter with you?"

"You don't let someone you love get that close to death. You do everything and anything to make sure they stay alive, even if it means sacrificing yourself.." My lips turned into a tight frown and I wanted to be just as mad at him as he was at me. But I just couldn't seem to muster the strength to do that. I was already physically exhausted by all that I had gone through tonight, my mind was strung tight by my encounters with Russell and Carina, and I was feelings pangs of loneliness for Eric like a knife in my side. And if Alcide was going to be my only companion for the foreseeable future, then I didn't want to fight with him. I looked up at his angry features and tried to remain calm as I fought to convey my true feelings behind what I did. "Alcide, if you really love someone then no action is too foolish."

"I don't doubt that you love him..." Alcide looked like it pained him to say this, and after remembering his confession of his feelings for me, it probably did pain him. But he appeared to be shoving it aside in his haste to reprimand me for what I did. And yet when he looked at me again, his expression had softened as his hands gripped his hips. "You still should have stayed out of it.."

"This isn't your problem. Why do you care so much?" I said this without thinking and even as it was already spilling out of my mouth, I still tried to reign it back in. But I couldn't do that, it was out there and there was no back tracking. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. "Look, I didn't mean..."

"Come on Allison, you know why I care. You've always known." He was up in front of him and had my face in between his hands before I could move away. His hands, although rough and warm, still felt soft and comforting on my cheeks as he forced me to look at him. I stared into his eyes, afraid of what I would hear in his mind if I looked too hard. His fingers got tangled in my hair and I could feel them against the back of my neck as he spoke, his eyes now earnest. "I just...can't bear the thought of anything happening to you.."

"Alcide, don't do that. Not now..." I stopped him before he could go on, already knowing what he was going to say and I just couldn't hear it. Not now, not on this night. Maybe another night I could have handled it without feeling my chest constrict with pain and anguish but not this particular night. Not after the life I thought I was going to have had suddenly ended. I dropped my gaze from his eyes and just shrugged. "Everything has changed for me, for you...I just can't deal with that right now.."

"I understand." He looked like he did and after another few seconds he let me go and allowed me to step back out of reach while he leaned against the wall again, suddenly looking exhausted. I had a feeling that my hesitance to hear him out had reminded him all too harshly of what lay ahead of us. Not that it had escaped his mind, but if he was at least thinking about his feelings for me, then he didn't have to think about where we were or what would happen down the line. And I had taken his distraction away and I felt bad about that, but hearing him talking about his worry for me which would lead to discussion of his desire for me, was just not something I could handle. Especially when I couldn't be with the man I loved. Alcide seemed to have forgotten all this as he slid down to the floor and laid his hands across his knees and said to the darkness. "What the hell is going to happen to us?"

I looked at him for a second before walking over and sitting down on the cold floor next to him. I couldn't see him all that well, but I could feel him tense as I brushed against him and I knew it wasn't in a bad way. The desire he had for me was practically rolling off his body but he was smart enough not to give voice to it. And I was grateful for it, right now I just needed a friend to lean on. And he was the only one around and if I didn't have his support, then there was no way I would survive this. I needed him, not in the way that he wanted me to, but I still needed him. I wrapped my arms around my legs as I drew them up close to my chest before answering his question, my response hanging between us like a storm cloud.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but whatever it is, if it concerns Russell...then something is going to go down in blood. And it won't be a good thing."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look the opposite of fine."

"Well what do you expect? I was about to watch my husband die, I offered myself as a sacrifice to save him and now I'm a prisoner of a psychotic vampire and his sidekick. And yet I am still functioning." I practically snapped at Alcide as I turned against the hard wall, trying and failing to get comfortable but nothing seemed to work. We had been sitting like this in the same position, side by side for the last hour and not much had been said since we first stopped talking. He got lost in his own thoughts as I did with mine. Now that we weren't talking, I was being flooded with emotions that I couldn't fight back anymore. Thoughts of Eric and Godric burned brightly in my mind, flanked by images of Sookie and Bill and even Louie. All these people who I would never see again were haunting me now. Irony huh? It made my jaw clench tightly as I looked at Alcide. "I may not be fine but when I say I'm fine, then don't argue with me about it."

"Fine, I was just worried that's all." Alcide held his voice steady but I knew he wanted to snap back at me. He was under just as much stress as I was. We were in the same situation, but he had been taken against his will. At least I had a chance to say goodbye. Remembering that made my temper cool a little bit as he kept his face on me. "And just for future reference, no matter how much you yell or snap at me, it's not going to change the fact that I still worry about you."

"I knew it wouldn't." I sighed heavily, running my fingers through my hair and tried not to read too much into this. But I knew it was his feelings for me that fueled his concern for me this much. And even if he only saw me as a friend, it still would be overwhelming. I didn't want him beside me with his concern, I wanted it to be Eric. I sat up with my head shaking. "And I don't want to yell at you, I just..."

"Can't help it? Yea I get it. It's kind of hard not to lash out in this kind of situation." He was more understanding then I thought he would be, more then I probably deserved but I didn't expect anything less from him. Maybe that's why I felt like I could be short tempered with him, because I knew he would never throw it back at me. He nudged me with his elbow. "But I'm trying to be your friend here..."

"I know. And I'm so relieved that it was you who was in here and not some crazy person.." I wasn't good at apologizing but I knew I had to do it. Alcide was being patient with me and if we were going to be stuck together then we had to get along. I nudged him back. "I'm sorry. Don't hold a grudge against me."

"As if I could." Alcide's voice was gentle, teasing almost and I felt myself smile as we turned toward each other. I wish I could see his face because I was sure he was smiling at me. His arm bumped against me as he spoke. "I would never be able to stay angry with you..."

"Aww, isn't that just the sweetest thing." Russell's imposing voice suddenly appeared in the air like a monster jumping out of the shadows. Alcide and I both turned towards the staircase where there was a shaft of light now on the steps and two pairs of legs coming down it, one male and one female. Carina appeared behind Russell wearing a very devious grin on her forever young face while Russell just watched both Alcide and I with a very studious expression in his eyes. They didn't come alone though, a line of guards containing both human and vampire came down into the room with them and every single one was holding a very imposing looking gun. I felt Alcide tense behind me just as Russell strolled forward a step,his hands in his pockets and his eyes solely on me. "Well Mrs. Northman, I came down to inform you that I need you to fulfill your end of the bargain. And no need to worry, I'm not going to kill you."

"Then what's with the firing squad?" Alcide demanded before I could speak, stepping around me so I was now the one in the back and he was facing the vampires face on. I felt my stomach clench at his actions and tried to go around him but he stopped me and good thing too. Because after seeing Alcide move protectively in front of me, Russell now wore the most murderous look on his pale face. And I felt myself tremble even as Alcide spoke. "What kind of vamp needs back up unless its something bad?"

"Oh it's not bad, it's just to ensure that you don't get in the way dog." Carina spoke for Russell, giving Alcide just enough time to see the smirk on her face before she disappeared from sight. The next second I was watching Alcide being shoved to the side and clear across the basement, striking the back wall hard and crumbling down onto the floor. I heard a gasp escape my lips and instinctively went to check on him but Carina was in my path and grabbed me by the arms. "I don't think so sweetie, Russell needs you."

"Get the fuck off me." I snapped, struggling in her vice like grip but I couldn't budge as she pulled me away from going after Alcide. I felt a rush of wind blow my hair forward as the vampire guards moved passed me to hold Alcide off who was starting to move and get back to his feet. Our eyes met for the briefest second before I was thrown backwards into the waiting arms of Russell Edgington, who upon getting hold of me, wasted no time in unsheathing his fangs and sinking them into my neck, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Nooo!"

Alcide's voice reached my ears just before I felt the pain of the feeding set in on me and it did little to take away the anguish. I had never felt the pain when Eric fed on me and Russell was no Eric. Eric at least attempted to keep me from feeling any kind of hurt. Russell on the other hand didn't hold back at all. He had his arm tightly locked around me, successfully holding me to him while his free hand yanked a handful of my hair so he had better access to the vein in my neck. His fangs protruded in and out of my skin as he hungrily drank my blood, almost like he was doing it on purpose to cause me more pain. I could hear Alcide in the back of the room trying to get to me but his grunts of pain told me the guards were keeping him back. I instinctively tried to get away but I was reminded just how much I couldn't match the physical strength of a vampire. I could have used my Fae powers but I was terrified that any kind of defiance would lead Russell to going after my loved ones and I couldn't risk that. I had to keep them safe. So even though my body was begging me to fight back against the pain, I had to force myself to stay still. Which wasn't too difficult because at the rate Russell was feeding on me, I could feel my limbs going limp and black spots were starting to appear in my vision. I felt almost sleepy, like I could fall asleep for a thousand years and it still wouldn't be enough. My eyes swam in and out of focus until after what seemed like hours, Russell finally retracted his fangs and let me go, shoving me forward on to the floor. I hit the cold concrete with barely a gasp of pain.

"Thank you oh so much for that delicious treat." Russell's voice was mocking as he stood above me, purposely licking his lips before turning towards the staircase. It took all I had to focus on him as he moved to go upstairs, but my focus was barely there. He grinned as he stepped up near the railing and turned his eyes back down to me. Although his expression was fake sincerity, there was the hint of psychotic lunacy lingering underneath it. I wasn't fooled by his fake tone either. "As long as you cooperate, I won't hurt you...much."

He was gone after that, leaving me on the floor with Carina and the guards who were still standing close to Alcide while the other vampires eyed me curiously as I was bleeding. Carina sent them a look and just as quick as Russell disappeared, they were gone too and the humans went soon after. Alcide was getting back to his feet and Carina rolled her eyes in disgust at him. I felt her eyes on me next and when I looked up at her it turned out to be a mistake because she narrowed them again before swiftly kicking me in the side and then she too was out of sight. Alcide reached me just as we both heard the unmistakable sound of a dead bolt being slid into place, locking us in again. I placed my hand on my neck and pulled it away and it was covered in blood. I felt my eyes well up just as Alcide scooped me up in his strong arms and carried me as far away from the stairs as he possibly could. I found myself sitting on what must have been a mattress as I felt my hands being moved off my neck and his palm pressed against my skin. I was in enough shock that I didn't fight him off and instead just clung to him even though it wasn't his arms I wanted to be in. But it was the best I had at the moment.

"Thank you." I heard myself whisper, my head lying against Alcide's shoulder as he applied pressure to the fang marks at the base of my neck. My small hands gripped fist fulls of his shirt just so I knew I had something solid against me, due to the sickening sensation that I felt like I was floating out of my body. I closed my eyes. "Thanks you for trying to protect me."

"I should have tried harder. But that freak thought too far ahead." His voice growled so deep in his chest that I could feel it against my face. His arm tightened around me before he said in a low tone. "What exactly is he planning to do?"

"I don't know, but he has something planned."

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later<span>_

"Well, this has certainly been an eventful night. Wouldn't you say?"

"Oh yes, the most exciting night I have had in many years." Carina found herself grinning like a devious cat as she turned her head to look at the much older vampire as they stood on the ledge of a building on some random main street in town and stared down at the masses of human scurrying by on the sidewalks below. They had arrived here just minutes after leaving the house and although she was curious as to why Russell wanted to be meeting out in public and hadn't said anything yet, she knew better then to question his actions. If he did something, then there was a good reason for it. And eventually he would reveal it to her. He always did when she agreed to join him and so far he hadn't let her down. Even if she did secretly wish he wasn't so selfish and would let her drink from the Faerie. As much as that stupid little bitch annoyed her, Carina couldn't deny just how spectacular the tiny brunette smelled. But Russell wouldn't hear of anyone else feeding from his special supply and she would never voice her desire out loud and risk angering him. She needed him to be on her side in the future. She wouldn't do anything that might offend him. Hence why she would follow his orders and him anywhere he wanted. The wind blew her long dark hair over her shoulder and she annoyingly pushed it back before saying. "Despite the action over the course of the night, things went rather smoothly."

"Surprisingly so. Although, I do wish I had been able to rip Northman's head off. That would have been the cap on a very good evening. But I suppose not even I can get everything I want." Russell chuckled good-naturally as if this was some childhood game they were discussing and Carina found herself grinning just as broadly as he was. The once captured vampire eyed a group of younger humans gathered in a doorway across the street before he tore his gaze away and looked at her. "You have been very much involved in this whole process. However, I feel the need to ask just how far you are willing to go for revenge."

"I will go as far as necessary." Carina replied without hesitation as if she had rehearsed this answer many times before. And in actuality, she had done just that. From the moment Godric had abandoned her, she had vowed to get revenge for what he had done. And over the past thousand years, that need and desire had only grown stronger and more intense. And nothing seemed to distract her from that. To her, Godric was the enemy and in turn so was Eric. And Allison as well. Anyone who went against her was going to be caught in the cross fire. She felt her lips twitching upward into another grin. "You don't have to question my commitment. I am more then ready to go after them all."

"You would go as far as to personally deliver pain upon your own maker and vampire brother without remorse?"

"Godric turned me and then left me. I had no bond to him because he was a selfish prick who couldn't be bothered to show me the ways, I had to learn on my own. He may be my maker,but I feel nothing for him." Carina's eyes narrowed as she looked out at the dark sky and thought of the vampire who had turned her and she wanted to rip the nearest tree out from the roots. Godric had committed the ultimate sin in her mind, creating a vampire and then immediately releasing her. How did he expect her to feel after she had to wander the world alone? Only to learn that a year later he found Eric and turned him but never released him. Eric was good enough to keep around but not her. And it was that very reason that she had waited all these years to strike back. "He betrayed me. And I do not take betrayal lightly. Just like I know you don't either, it's why I found you and dug you up."

"I will be eternally grateful for that. And I will help you get your revenge." Russell was obviously very pleased by her solid response to his question judging by twinkle in his eye. "You will at least get your hands on Eric."

"I wouldn't mind hurting him." Carina was grinning again at the thought of inflicting anguish on her slightly younger vampire brother. He too bore the brunt of her anger and he wasn't going to escape unscathed. Except for one possible complication. She frowned as she spoke. "What about the deal you made with the faerie?"

"I only promised not to kill them, I never said I wouldn't hurt them." Russell shrugged as this was only a minor detail he had over looked. "And even if I change my mind, she can't do anything about it."

"So why not go back to Shreveport tonight?" She asked, turning her body to face someone she now considered her boss and master more then she ever thought of Godric that way. "Why not go after them right away?"

"While I appreciate your desire to shed blood, I also have to reign you in. If we end them now, then the fun is over just like that. If we draw it out, then it will be much more pleasurable." Russell ran his finger tips over his bottom lip just as his fangs slowly came out, surely signifying that his blood lust was growing despite his intake of Fae blood. He motioned down to the street. "Enough talk about revenge, I'm hungry. Go find us something to play with and eat."

Carina said nothing before disappearing from the ledge and eagerly running off for the street.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at the house<span>_

"Well the bleeding has stopped finally...I think you'll be fine..."

"Yea..." It was all I could manage to say in response as Alcide's hand dropped from the side of my neck and he took a seat beside me on the old mattress set in a corner of the basement, not saying anything more then his assurance that I would be ok. It had been like that since Russell and Carina had left us cowering against the wall over an hour ago. I think he could tell I was just in no mood to even attempt a conversation no matter how one sided it was. So he settled for simply holding me in his arms as he tried to stop the trickle of blood that had been running down my skin from the vicious fang marks. And I just let him take care of me, I didn't have much energy for anything else. I knew it was going to be like this from now on, but having Russell pounce on me like I was an animal in the wild was just jarring and I knew I was in no way prepared for going through this every night. But I had no choice, this was the deal I made when I stepped in the line of fire to save Eric's life. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but the reality of what my life was now going to be just kept hitting me in the face like a ton of bricks. It made my chest squeeze painfully and I shrugged off Alcide's hand that was still on my shoulder, I couldn't stomach his touch right now. "Don't touch me..."

"Allison, come on..." Alcide's voice was steady, like he knew using a gentler tone would send me over the edge. But this voice was just as festering as any other, he wouldn't be able to win right now and he knew it. And yet he still tried to comfort me by placing his hand back on my shoulder. "I know it's hard, but I promise you..."

"No! You can't promise me anything because you don't have anything to promise. This is it, this is how we are going to die." I felt my frustration explode out of my mouth before it reached my ears and I didn't even flinch at how harsh it sounded. I pushed his hand off me for a second time and drew myself up on to my feet, I couldn't be near him like this. But I didn't take in to account that I would still be dizzy from the blood loss and the moment my feet had taken just a few steps forward, I already felt my vision wavering and knew I would fall. So I just sank down to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself as tightly as I could. My eyes squeezed shut immediately because I knew if I kept them open any longer then I would start to cry. There were going to be many days and nights where I would cry but I just didn't want it to start tonight. It may never stop if it began. I could hear Alcide moving around behind me and I waved my hand at him. "Don't touch me, I mean it."

He either didn't hear me or he was just choosing to ignore me because he didn't stop moving towards me. I felt his presence right behind me and without even saying a word, his hands came down to clamp on my upper arms and I was pulled upward until I was back on my feet. He didn't say anything either when he pulled me back towards the bed and set me down on the edge and I didn't say anything as well. I don't know if it was just out of stubbornness at the time or if I just did not have any words to fill the silence. Nevertheless, I allowed him to put me back on the bed before he sat down on the other side of the bed with his arms folded across the top of his knees. He was tense, I could feel it but I didn't want to do anything to fix it. Or maybe I just didn't want to admit that I didn't know how to fix it. I knew he had only been trying to comfort me and I practically bit his head off. But I also knew I couldn't be blamed for my mental status, not after what had happened over the span of this night. And yet, I knew I had crossed a line here. Alcide was my friend and more importantly now, he was my ally. He was the only one I could count on now. With Eric and Godric no longer able to feel me, they couldn't come swooping in to rescue me. All I had now was Alcide, I couldn't lose that.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly, looking over my shoulder to where his huddled form was across from me. He kept himself starring forward, his back to me so I knew he was still irked by my words. I couldn't get anything from his thoughts so I would have to try harder. "I know you were trying to help and I just let everything catch up to me and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." He replied gruffly, his voice just barely containing something I knew I didn't want to hear. I was hoping that he would turn around and maybe smile so I knew it would be ok. But he didn't even look my way and he didn't say anything else.

"Please don't be mad, I didn't mean to be such a bitch..."

He still didn't respond the way I wanted him to so I just gave up, feeling he had a right to just sulk for a while. I had been kind of mean, so the least I could do was just let him be alone in his own head for a while. Besides, I was a little too deep in my stubbornness and misery to even try apologizing again, I just sat there with my chin in my hands as the silence and darkness seemed to press in on us from all sides. It took a while before I felt the slightest twinge of his thoughts, and I felt myself perk up hopefully. But what I picked up on was not what I needed to hear..

_"...Christ, how long are we going to be locked up down here? It's like being in a fucking mausoleum. It's as dark as being in a coffin..."_

Coffin. Just hearing the word made every muscle, tendon and nerve in my body go rigid and tight and I felt my heart rate increase almost automatically. The thought had been brewing in the back of my head since I had been thrown down here, but I never wanted to acknowledge it because if I did then I knew I would freak hearing Alcide say the word just sent a jolt of ice through my chest and my hands gripped the edges of the old mattress tightly. I felt uneasy, wanting to jump up and run and also stay still at the same time. I knew it wasn't the same environment but the darkness had so very often reminded me of my resurrection and I tried to avoid it as much as I could. But this basement I couldn't escape from and I began remember the panic I felt of waking up under ground and my heart pounded painfully fast inside my chest...

"What's wrong with you?" Alcide's voice cut through my frenzied thoughts like a knife, bringing me back to reality and I turned to see that he had finally turned around to look at me. His face, which was still faintly showing his frustration, was now shinning with a slight concern. "I can sense your heartbeat increase. What's going on?"

"I don't like the dark." I muttered, feeling my forehead wrinkle and my hands clench even more tightly on the bed. I tried to will myself to calm down but it was more effort then I had the strength for. But knowing that Alcide was now talking to me helped a little. I looked at him again, seeing that he wanted more of an explanation. "Do you remember Sookie telling you about my resurrection? And how I woke up back in my coffin?"

"I remember." His voice was low and I could tell he was reliving that conversation he had with my cousin before he and I had even met each other. I don't know what exactly was said,but it softened his eyes. He studied me carefully. "That's why you're feeling panicky."

"Every since I had to dig my way out, I have tried to avoid being underground as much as I can. I never went into basements after that, even in my own house. Not even if there were lights there." I shook my head, hating that I was still affected by how I was brought back but I knew deep down that it was always going to be an issue. You couldn't die and then be resurrected and wake up in your own without still feeling residual emotions about it. It was just always going to be with me. And most time I didn't think about it. But in basements where there was darkness everywhere and barely any light, I was helpless to fight it off. I looked at Alcide and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It just...scares me."

"I guess that's understandable." Alcide shifted on the bed until I felt him settle on the space beside me again and to my relief, I felt my panic start to dim. Maybe it was because he was so strong and powerful that I felt safe. Or maybe it was just because I knew I had my friend back. Either way, I was relieved. His hand reached out hesitantly and clasped mine before he admitted. "When I was a kid, I use to be scared of the dark."

"Wait, what?" I sat up quickly, not expecting to hear that out of his mouth. I knew it was meant to make me feel better, but he was a kid when he felt that way. I was an adult, so it wasn't quite the same. But hearing it at all was still shocking to me. I mean, this is Alcide. I felt my jaw fall open. "You couldn't have been scared of the dark. You're a Were!"

"I was 7, I hadn't started the change yet..." Alcide started laughing, breaking the last of the icy cloud that had been between us as his hand left mine and went through his hair. He didn't move away from me this time and I could tell by his thoughts that any frustration he had with me was now gone. His face turned toward me in the dark and in the limited light I could just see a twitch to his lips. "And besides, even Weres can get scared."

"I can't imagine you scared of anything, even as a child." I shook my head, I just didn't believe it. It's hard to imagine a big strong guy like Alcide as a child, but it was even more difficult to imagine him being scared. Even now, he didn't seem all that worried about what was happening. I shook my head again. "You just seem so unshakable."

"That's a good thing most of the time. But it's all a facade, I do get scared. I just don't ever show it because I don't want to seem weak." He answered honestly, just as I knew he would. That was the thing about Alcide. I never had to push at him to know what he was thinking or feeling. He always offered up what was really on his mind without me having to resort to reading his thoughts. "Not that there is anything wrong with showing fear."

"I wish I could be like that. I can't hide when I'm scared..." I sighed heavily, thinking of my inability to turn off my feelings when they arrived. I guess it was a good thing since I didn't have to bury them and avoid it in the long run. But sometimes I wish I could just turn it off for a little while. A heavy breath of air escaped my lips as I said. "I just don't think I'm strong enough."

"You're a lot tougher then you think you are. I can tell that about you." Alcide replied, his hand brushing against my arm on the way to cupping my face. He turned me to look at him even in the darkness and I got the distinct feeling he was looking into my eyes. "You have to remember that if you want to get through this."

"What's the point in staying strong? I'm not getting out of here and neither are you." I frowned, pulling away from him as the bubble of comfort dissipated just as quickly as it had arrived. No matter how much I leaned on Alcide for support, it didn't change the fact that we were in peril and would be for an infinite amount of time. Alcide may be a good distraction but it would never make us forget where we were. I turned my eyes forward and sighed, images of Eric and Godric and my family getting farther and farther away. I had already physically lost them,but not I was losing them in my mind too. I dropped my head into my hands and shakily said. "This is our life now."

**A/N: Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for an update the past few months. I was going through a terrible period of writer's block and i just couldn't write thing. But i just got back from a week at the shore and it has re-ignited my inspiration. SO thanks for the reviews, the compliments and the patience. It wont be this long again**


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